The Way Sadness Works
by the-great-snape-debate
Summary: AU after Season 2 Episode 6: By Fire - Edward decides not to tell Kristen that he's killed Daugherty quite yet. Their relationship continues, and Kristen finds her life spiraling out of her control. Edward Nygma/Kristen Kringle/Deidre Vance/*Echo (in later chapters)*
1. Chapter 1

"The way sadness works is one of the strange riddles of the world."

-Lemony Snicket

Chapter 1: Trust

Edward handed the mug of tea to Kristen as he sat down on the bed, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"You are so sweet." Kristen said quietly. Edward watched her, confusion on his face. She looked upset.

"Kristen, what's the matter?" He asked as she looked down at the mug in her hands, steam wafting up from the warm liquid inside. She looked around, looking at everything but him, her eyes looking over the messy bedspread before looking up at him.

"Um ..." She paused looking up at Edward. "I'm scared." She said simply. It was enough to give Edward pause, increasing his confusion. Was she scared of him? Of what just happened? Should he have ... Should he have said no? Maybe they were rushing things too quickly. He could feel his heart rate speed up, his body stiffen with nerves.

"Of what?" He asked confused.

"Of Tom Dougherty." She said, fear evident on her face. "He used to tell me that ... If he ever saw me with another man ... He would kill me."

Edward watched her, could see the fear on her face. Would she leave him because of this? Edward knew Tom wasn't a problem anymore but ... She didn't. She thought he would come back at any time.

Edward shifted nervously as Kristen continued. "I'm terrified of what would happen if he comes back."

"You don't need to worry about that." Edward said, trying to sound more comforting than factual.

"You don't know him." She said, looking at him as if he were some kind of sweet, naive child. "He's a ... A monster."

"Listen to me." Edward said, "You do not need to worry about Tom Dougherty." He said kissing her hand making her smile.

"You are sweet." She said kindly. "But you're not a fighter. You couldn't possibly take him on." Edward nodded biting his lip as he stared down at the space of bed between them.

"You think I'm weak." He said quietly, more as a matter of fact than an assumption. It didn't surprise him, everyone thought so.

"What? No, Edward," she reassured him quickly, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. "You're not weak. But you're just not an aggressive person. You're… better than that."

"You can stay here if you like ... If ... If you'd feel safer." He said. He hated lying to her but he knew he couldn't tell her ... "At least it would be better than being alone and ... And he wouldn't know you're here."

Kristen smiled slightly, touched by his concern, no longer feeling quite so stupid for voicing her fears out loud. "You… want me to stay?" she asked, strangely a little more nervous about that than about what they'd just done. Guys she'd dated in the past weren't usually interested in spending quality time after sex. What if she outstayed the romance, and he finally realised how boring and ordinary she was? She still didn't understand why he liked her so much. Edward felt like such a mystery to her. "Are you sure it's alright? I wouldn't want to impose…"

"You'd never impose on me." He said leaning forward and kissing her gently. "You're welcome here any time ..."

She kissed him back, then smiled. "You really are sweet," she said. And she did feel safer here, with Edward, then she knew she would at home with her thoughts and her worries. "I guess I can stay a little longer then, if you promise you won't get tired of me."

"Never." He said crawling over to his side of the bed. "You should drink your tea, before it gets cold." He said sitting against the headboard. He sat there watching her for a moment before his hand moved up to her shoulder, his fingers tracing the line of the thin strap of her slip. "Would you ..." Edward paused a moment. No, that's rushing. Don't ask. "Never mind ..." He said quietly.

"Would I?" she repeated, looking up from her tea at him. She kissed him softly on the neck. He hadn't voiced what he wanted to ask, but from the way his fingers trailed over her shoulder, she got the impression that he'd want her to set aside her cup of tea shortly.

Edward tilted his head, enjoying her lips on his neck. "No that's ..." He paused. She obviously thought he meant ... "I just ... Not that." He said quietly. "I mean if you want to we can but that's ..." Why was he so useless at talking? "I was just going to ask ... That is ..."

Kristen stopped and looked up at him, confused that she'd misread the signal. "What is it?" she asked.

Edward sighed and looked down, playing with the corner of the blanket as he spoke. "Do you think ... You'd ever consider ... Well ... Moving in with me?" He asked, the last part he said so fast he wondered if it even made sense.

Kristen's eyes widened slightly. "Edward," she said, a little stunned. "That's a big step. It seems a little early for that, don't you think?"

She liked Edward a lot … but she felt like she still didn't completely understand him. Then again, hadn't she wanted him to let her in, to get closer, to know him better? But moving in with him now, while so much was unknown, was a huge risk. This whole time they'd been together, a part of her remained uneasy, waiting for something in this fairytale romance to go wrong, the way things always did. But it hadn't happened. She knew things couldn't stay this perfect forever… What if she took that risk right before everything fell apart? What would she do then?

Still, no one had ever made her this happy before. She didn't want to lose that out of fear either.

"But… I'll think about it," she promised, looking him in the eyes sincerely.

Ed kept staring at the bed, playing with the corner of the blanket still. 'I'll think about it.' Always meant no, as he'd learned from his father years ago ... He shouldn't have asked.

"Okay ..." He said looking up at her, and smiling softly. A fake smile he'd had years to perfect. "It's okay ... I ... I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's alright," Kristen said with a soft smile. "It doesn't hurt to ask." She kissed him on the cheek.

It did hurt to ask ... But Edward didn't say anything. "You should finish your tea. It's getting cold." He said shifting down on the bed, watching her. Even if she said no, he still loved her. She was still with him.

Kristen nodded and settled in comfortably next to him as she sipped her tea. She hoped she hadn't upset him because she wasn't ready to move in with him, but he seemed to take it well. When she'd finished her tea, she set the cup aside and snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

Edward put his arm around her shoulder, his fingers playing over the bare flesh of her arm. "You ..." Edward paused clearing his throat. "Are you staying because you want to?" Edward asked quietly. "I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to stay just because we-" he paused unable to voice what they had done, his cheeks burning red.

Kristen kissed him gently, a little amused by his bashfulness. "Of course I want to," she reassured him. "Surely you've noticed by now that I enjoy spending time with you?"

Edward smiled. "I can't fathom why." He said chuckling slightly, his hand coming to rest on her elbow. "But I can't say I'm complaining."

"Gee," she said playfully, running a hand through Edward's hair. "Why would I possibly want to spend time with my brilliantly smart, incredibly sweet boyfriend?"

Edward laughed. "Well at least you didn't call me sexy, because then I would know you were lying." He said only half joking, laughing as she ran her hand through his hair, still damp from their earlier activities.

"Nonsense," Kristen protested. "But if you're saying I didn't sufficiently convey how sexy I think you are earlier… then I suppose we'll just have to keep working at it."

She wondered, though whether he really thought that. It certainly would explain why he'd insisted on keeping his shirt on during sex. Edward's self-esteem was the most peculiar thing. One minute, he could be supremely satisfied with himself, usually for some clever deduction or obscure factoid… and the next minute, he'd be stammering, uncertain, almost downtrodden. It was possible that this was one of those areas where Edward felt insecure.

"If we work at it any more tonight, I don't think either one of us will be going to work tomorrow. And I think that would look a bit suspicious." He said smiling as he kissed her temple. "We should both get some sleep."

Kristen sighed. "Well, if you insist on being sensible…" she said, kissing him before settling under the covers close against him. It was a comforting feeling. He'd been right about her feeling safer here. "Perhaps another time, then."

Edward lay quietly in bed, his breathing soft and even as he slept, his arm draped over Kristen's side. He moaned quietly as he shifted, his arm moving off her and falling onto the mattress between them.

Kristen smiled softly at how peaceful Edward looked in his sleep, a feeling of contentment settling in as she woke up next to him. She'd slept well with his warm arms around her. Even if it still seemed reckless to move in with him yet… she had to admit, she could get used to this. As Edward's arm slid off of her, she snuggled a little closer against him to make up for it, her hand resting on his shoulder and upper arm.

As her fingers brushed against his t-shirt, she frowned. She could distinctly feel a rough, raised area underneath the material of his shirt. Did he have scars there? If he did, from the feel of it, they were pretty bad ones … but she knew that wasn't where he'd been shot. So what were they from? He couldn't have gotten in a fight; Edward wasn't a confrontational person. Had he been in an accident? Or had someone hurt him?

She wondered … could this be why he'd hastily stopped her from pulling off his shirt during sex last night? Could he be embarrassed about the scars? But why? In her experience, most men seemed to like showing off scars, as if it proved how tough they were. And anyway, she already knew about the gunshot one on his arm from when he'd saved her life … So why was this scar different?

"Please stop that." Edward said, his voice quiet and sounding very tired. He tiredly raised his hand and pulled hers away from his shoulder blade, holding her hand between them so she'd stop touching it. His eyes still closed though he was fighting to stay awake.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, mortified and guilty, realising she'd trespassed into something private. How stupid of her … of course if he didn't want her seeing his scars, he certainly wouldn't want her touching them. "If you want me to stop, l'll stop."

Edward opened his eyes and looked at her. "I'm sorry. I just ..." He paused not really sure what he wanted to say. He rubbed his eyes with his hand, willing himself to wake up. "It's not ... Really something I like talking about."

"You don't have to," Kristen reassured him, though she couldn't help feeling disappointed that he was shutting her out again. It didn't matter, though; whatever had happened, he had the right to deal with it in his own way. She could understand that, at least. "But … you know you can tell me anything."

She snuggled close against him again, her hand resting on his chest… only to feel more scarring through his shirt. She withdrew her hand quickly. "I'm sorry," she stammered again. "I didn't realise … I'm sorry."

Edward sighed. He was making her flustered just for touching him and he didn't like the look on her face. He slowly sat up, sitting cross-legged on the bed. "You have no reason to be sorry." He said sitting, staring at the bed a moment as if contemplating what he wanted to do. This wasn't easy for him, and he knew she would find them repulsive ... Most women did.

He licked his lips a moment before he untucked his shirt, and, with shaking hands, pulled it up and over his head, holding it in his hand beside him. He didn't look at her, not wanting to see the revulsion on her face.

Kristen sat up next to him, looking on in silence as Edward pulled off his shirt, realising that he was showing her something he'd probably rarely trusted anyone with before. Just to the right of his heart, there was a circular scar, raised around the edges like a ragged ring, the skin inside rough with scar tissue as well. And to the lower right on his stomach, there was a slight dent in his skin. Her eyes widened. Those scars… particularly the circular one, didn't look accidental.

"Edward," she said quietly, taking his hand in hers. "Who… who did this to you?"

"Um ... My first year of Highschool there was a kid named Wyatt ... He used to bully me a lot. I got sick of it and retaliated one day. Unfortunately one of his friends saw me do it ..." He said quietly. "The next day I was walking through the field with one of my friends towards the school. Wyatt came up to me ... I don't ... I don't remember what happened. I just remember hearing two loud bangs ... My ears were ringing but I could hear people screaming. The next thing I know I woke up in the hospital three weeks later."

"God, Edward," she whispered. She should have known he would have been targeted by bullies in his youth. He was just so different, and frequently so awkward in social situations. Even in adulthood, people who hadn't gotten to know him found him irritating. Even Kristen hadn't known how to react to him at first. Not knowing what to say, she just wrapped her arms around him and held him in a tight hug.

"You're not ..." He paused as she hugged him. "You're not disgusted by them?" He asked confused. He hadn't been with a women who hadn't reacted with a simple "ew" and a look of disgust. They weren't attractive scars.

"What?" Kristen pulled away enough to look at him. "No, of course not. Is that… Is that why you didn't want me to see them? You thought I'd be disgusted?"

Edward looked down and nodded, unable to bring himself to speak. Even if she wasn't disgusted by these two ... She would be by the cruel marks on his back.

"Edward," Kristen said, touching a hand to the side of his face and looking directly at his eyes, waiting for him to look back up again. "The guy who did this is the one who's disgusting. Not you." It was the strangest thing. Edward knew she saw crime scene files on a daily basis … did he really think a couple of little scars would disgust her?

"Well ..." Edward paused. "They aren't ... My worst ones." He said slowly turning around on the bed.

Kristen gasped, involuntarily recoiling in shock. The scars on his shoulder blade were in the form of letters, as if someone had taken a knife and carved the crude all-capital letters into his skin. The writing was jagged in places, as if he'd tried to struggle. But the scars still clearly spelt out the word "RETARD."

"My God, Edward," she whispered, when she regained the ability to speak. "Who … Was it … Did those same bullies … did they do this?" It was hard for her to comprehend who could possibly do something so hateful.

"No it ... That was ... My father." He said quietly. "He hated how stupid I was ... Constantly put me down, hated my grades ... He came home drunk one day and it just ... Escalated farther than what was normal for him."

"Your… your father?" Kristen managed to choke out in disbelief, her eyes tearing up. No wonder he was always so eager to show off how much he knew, how clever he was, to anyone who would listen. No wonder he always looked so discouraged when people ignored or dismissed his constant stream of trivia. She put her arms around him again, holding him tight. "You're not stupid," she said forcefully, though her voice was shaking. "You're the smartest man I know. And if your father couldn't see that, then he was an idiot."

"I wasn't then though ... My grades were mediocre at best, I was failing quite a few things ... I didn't care about school. I didn't care how dumb I was ..." He said. "I was the quiet kid in the back who spent more time doodling than listening." He said his hand going up to her arm that was wrapped around him.

"That doesn't mean you were stupid," Kristen insisted vehemently. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Edward still believed what he'd been told … even now, when every word that came out of Edward's mouth proved his father wrong. "Grades aren't indicators of intelligence. Einstein failed his classes as a kid too, and that didn't mean he was stupid. Anyway, if your own father told you over and over again that you weren't smart, what other result could he expect?"

"Yes well, I'm sure society and reality could argue with that. I ... I never actually graduated High School." He said turning back to her, his fingers fiddling with the blanket. "I failed grade nine three times before I dropped out when I was sixteen. I ... I ran away from home, ended up in Gotham. Stayed off the grid so to speak, kept my nose out of trouble so no one would ask me who I was. I spent most of my time at the library, focusing on things I wanted to learn, instead of what the school system shoved down my throat ... Eventually, with so much time on my hands, I wanted to learn everything ... When I was eighteen I changed my name so my father couldn't find me, though I doubt he'd attempted. I acquired some fake documents to prove my education was 'complete'." He said hoping she wouldn't tell anyone. He had hacked Gotham University's systems so that he would have appeared on the roster under his new name, gave himself fake marks, even listed a few teachers as references. Of course they'd given him a glowing recommendation. After all they have hundreds of students, how could they remember them all? But his file was there, with his exceptional marks, and he'd been hired by the GCPD nearly on the spot. "It's hard to get a job when your only qualification is 'Genius with no high school diploma.'" He said.

"But everything I know took a lot of hard work and memorization ... Most of which most people would never do. For two years, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year I sat in the library reading and studying, anything and everything, open to close, sometimes after closing, even on days the library was closed ... The first few weeks were hard but ... I was lucky the library I found was owned by a kind lady. Her name was Marian ... She knew I was a street kid ... But she never kicked me out like she did the others. She brought me food when she could. Even invited me over to her apartment to shower every few days and would bring me clothes ... She's probably the closest thing I ever had to family." He said not sure why he was telling her all this. He was rambling at this point he knew it but ... This was stuff he never talked about ... Never trusted anyone enough to talk about.

Kristen just held him, listening until he trailed off. It was terrible, knowing he'd had such a painful childhood. But at the same time, she was amazed by how much trust he was suddenly showing, telling her all of this. "She sounds like a remarkable lady," she said. "I'd very much like to meet her someday … But Edward … you know most people would never have come this far. Most people would have just given up. When someone tells you you're stupid or …" she paused, and her voice was quieter when she continued. "Or worthless for long enough, it's … it's hard to accomplish much of anything, so …" She paused again to steady her voice before she looked up at him again. "So all this really proves is how amazing you really are."

"It doesn't prove anything. It proves I can cheat the system. It proves I can fake documents to get a job. It proves I didn't earn anything I have ..." He said. "If anyone finds out I did this I could go to jail for fraud. I'm not legally qualified to do my job."

Kristen shook her head. "Legally, maybe not … But you just told me that you spent two years studying nonstop, day in and day out. You said yourself most people would never have put in the kind of work you did. And you did it after you'd spent your whole life being told you couldn't. So how can you say you didn't earn what you have? So what if you did it in a library by yourself, instead of in a university with professors? And the fact that you were even able to cheat the system that convincingly, that thoroughly … do you really think most people would have had the ingenuity or the skills to pull that off? Maybe your documents are forged, but your skills and your knowledge are real."

"You're not ... Mad that I did something illegal?" He asked. "That I ... I lied to you about who I am?" He asked even though technically he was lying to everyone about who he is. Even if his new name is legal.

"Well …" Kristen said, a little uncomfortably. "It … was your own secret, that didn't really involve me … and you said yourself if anyone found out, you could be arrested. You had no reason to trust me with this sooner … And you're telling me now. It was illegal, but … given the circumstances, it's hardly the worst thing you could have done. I mean, it's not like you killed someone."

Edward looked up at her when she said that. 'It's not like you killed someone.' ... His entire body went numb with a sudden sense of anxiety. "Yeah ..." He said quietly. "Still ... A law is a law. Who are we to determine which are more severe than the next? Which are more punishable? I mean ... I haven't done this but is rape or torture worse than murder? Where do we draw the line?"

"From a philosophical standpoint, I suppose you could debate that," Kristen said. "But still, it's not as if you actually hurt anyone. No, I'm not thrilled that you broke the law, but … working at the GCPD has been a little disillusioning when it comes to that. We both know we have coworkers who are actively aiding criminals under the table. You broke one law so that you'd be able to help catch them … In the grand scheme of things, it's kind of hard to be mad about that."

Edward shrugged. "I suppose." He said quietly. He jumped when his alarm suddenly went off and he leant over to switch it off.

Kristen jumped too, startled at the sound of the alarm, then laughed, releasing the tension. "Speaking of which," she sighed. "I suppose we should get ready for work." She reached for her glasses on the bedside table, then looked back at him, a little regretful that they had to abruptly leave and go back to work after he'd just confided something so personal. She gently took his hand again. "Are you okay? I mean … do you regret telling me?"

"No. I don't ... But we still have an hour to get ready. I can make you some breakfast if you want." He said pulling his shirt back on. "You can go take a shower if you like as well."

Kristen nodded, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. "You really are sweet," she said. No one had made her breakfast since she was a kid. "I won't take long," she said, getting up and heading toward the bathroom.

Edward smiled as he started making breakfast, the smile remaining on his face as he heard the water turn on in the bathroom. He still couldn't believe she was with him. It was all so surreal. Like a dream he'd wake up from any minute. For a moment he contemplated joining her in the shower but ... Breakfast needed to be made, and they did need to get ready for work.

Kristen took a quick shower, then got dressed, doing the best she could to smooth out her rumpled dress that had been lying on the floor since last night. She wished she'd thought to bring a change of clothes. She buttoned her sweater all the way, hoping people would assume it was a different skirt and sweater, instead of the same dress. People at work talked already, saying she moved on from one boyfriend to the next like there was no tomorrow. She didn't want to think about that right now, though. She and Edward had had a lovely time last night … and now he was finally starting to open up to her. Maybe, just maybe, things might be different this time. Maybe she had finally gotten it right.

She came out of the bathroom, smiling when she saw Edward making breakfast. "Can I give you a hand?"

"It's done actually." He said flipping over some bacon before placing it on the plate next to the eggs he'd made. "But thank you for the offer." He said taking both plates over to the table.

"This looks lovely, Edward," she said, kissing him again before going to sit down. "You really do spoil me." That was something to take into consideration. If she did decide to move in with him, she would have to join a gym or something. Otherwise, if he kept cooking meals like this, she was sure to gain weight like crazy. She wondered whether he'd still like her if that happened … Though she didn't think he was that shallow, she still didn't understand what he saw in her in the first place.

"As I told you last night." Edward said between bites. "I enjoy spoiling you. You deserve it."

Kristen smiled slightly. Edward really was incredibly sweet. "Oh, that reminds me," she said, her memory jarred by the similar conversation. "You said last night there was something you wanted to tell me?"

Ed paused as he looked up at her. "Right. I did ... Um." He paused. He was going to tell her about Tom but ... He didn't think she was ready for that. "Why don't you come by tonight, and we'll talk. Do you like video games?"

Kristen nodded. "I… I do, actually," she smiled a little shyly. She'd been made fun of for it before, but Edward didn't seem like the type to bother her about that.

"Oh, you'll love my game room then." He said with a smile, suddenly excited. "I'll show you tonight after we eat. And talk ..." He said suddenly less excited. "If ... If you still want to stay ... That is."

"You have a game room?" Kristen asked, delighted by the idea. That definitely sounded like a fun evening to her, and she loved seeing Edward get enthusiastic about things like this. "How could I turn down an invitation like that? Though if I'm going to stay over again, I should probably stop by my apartment first." Crashing here one night without a change of clothes might be understandable, but more than once would just be bad planning.

"Well ... We'll talk about that after we talk ... I'm ... I'm not sure if you'll want to after." He said picking at his food. "But if you do, I'll give you a ride home to get what you need."

"Thank you," she said, between bites, though she looked a little puzzled by his remark. She thought she'd seen the worst of his insecurities already… what more could there be that he thought would make her want to leave? "Though I can't imagine what you think is going to scare me away at this point," she said with a joking smile.

Edward finished his breakfast and brought his plate to the sink before washing it. "I'm going to go shower and shave ... Do you want a ride to work?" He asked knowing her car was downstairs. "If you want I can give you a lift to work. And bring you back here after. Although I do have to buy food after work ... So it's up to you."

"Oh, that's alright," Kristen said, taking her plate to go wash it as well. "I wouldn't want you to have to go to any trouble." Though they were going to the same place, and it did make a certain amount of sense to take the same car, she worried that Edward might get sick of her.

"It's no problem at all." He said glancing at her. "Unless you wanted to run home first and change." He said kissing her on her forehead. He glanced at the clock. "I really do need to go shower." He said kissing her head again.

Checking the time, Kristen realised that at this point, her chances of getting home through Gotham traffic, changing, and getting to work on time were slim. So she might as well carpool with Edward and spend a little more time with him. "Go ahead and shower," she said kissing him affectionately. "I'll wait for you." She could finish tidying things up in the kitchen while Edward went to go shower … though there really wasn't much left to do. Edward cleaned up after himself better than any man she'd ever met.

Edward nodded. "Will do." He said smiling as he headed into the bathroom, grabbing his watch off the side table so he could keep track of the time.

((A/N - End of Chapter 1 - please comment/review - this will be a novel length fic, 350+ pages already written! More to come!))


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Edward wandered into the records room, his hands in his pockets. "Miss. Tompkins." Ed greeted seeing her talking to Kristen.

"Morning Ed." Lee said. "I heard you had fun last night." Ed blanked, staring at her a moment. "Dinner ... Conversation. Relax Ed ... Kristen didn't tell me anything." She teased. "But uh, you should probably wake up a bit earlier to shave if you're trying to keep that bit a secret." She said with a bit of a chuckle as Ed's cheeks turned red. She winked at Kristen who smiled shyly. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone ... I have work I need to catch up on anyway." She said waving at Ed as she left the room.

"I really didn't say anything about that," Kristen assured him. Not that it had made much difference. They both knew how perceptive Lee could be about people. Still, it was nice talking to someone who seemed so genuinely happy for them.

"I know." Edward said, knowing Kristen wouldn't divulge that information. Even if she had, he knew girls tended to gossip. He didn't mind, it was good for Kristen to have a friend to talk to.

Ed approached her desk. He had been waiting for the last half an hour for her to get off. "Are you ready to go?"

Kristen nodded, picking up her purse and her coat, before taking Edward's arm. "Ready," she said.

"You're not ..." Edward paused looking down at her hand on his arm. "You're not ... Embarrassed? I mean ... To be seen at work with me? In front of Detective Gordon and Miss. Tompkins I can understand, they're our friends but ..." Ed paused realising he was rambling again. He didn't think she'd be so open that she was leaving with him.

"Why should I be embarrassed?" she asked, looking up at him. "Unless you think it's more fun to keep it a secret?" There were maybe a few people who might make an underhanded comment or two, but she didn't feel much inclined to value their opinion on the matter.

Edward blanked. Fun? "I ... Don't see how fun would be derived from keeping our relationship a secret." He said confused.

Kristen couldn't help smiling at the confused, serious look on Edward's face. "Well then," she said decisively. "There's no good reason to hide it then, is there?"

"I suppose ... Still ... Won't people make fun of you?" He asked quietly. "You seemed so defensive about it before ... I mean before we started dating."

Kristen winced an uncomfortable smile. "That's true," she admitted. "I kind of have a history of being pressured into acting how other people think I should act, doing what they think I should do … which hasn't exactly worked out well for me. So I'm trying not to care so much about what people think, and just go for what makes me happy." She looked up at Edward, wondering if what she'd said made any sense to him at all.

"I make you happy?" Edward asked with a slight smile. He glanced down at his watch. "The grocers closes in half an hour. We should head out then." He said, the stupid grin not leaving his face.

"Right," Kristen agreed, her hand still on his arm as they headed out, smiling slightly at the look on Edward's face. She didn't know why it seemed so surprising to him that being with him made her happy. After all, she was still here, wasn't she? And no one had ever been as kind to her as Edward was.

The ride the grocers was quiet, though comfortable. When they got inside Ed grabbed a basket. There wasn't much he needed. "What do you want for supper?"

"Oh, anything," said Kristen, kissing him on the cheek as they went in. "Everything you make turns out amazing." One of these days, she needed to get him to teach her how to cook like that. Her skills in the kitchen seemed woefully inadequate by comparison.

"Anything is a rather broad spectrum." He said. "I mean if you want I can make haggis and mung bean salad ..." Edward said looking at her to see how she'd react.

"Ew," Kristen laughed, shoving playfully at Edward's arm. "Okay, anything but that, then."

Ed walked slowly down the aisle looking at food. "Well ... What do you like to eat? Do you want pasta? Beef? Pork? Chicken? Soup? Casserole? What? Throw me a bone here."

"Pasta sounds good tonight," Kristen said since he insisted on making her choose. She really would have been happy with just about anything, but someone had to decide.

"Pasta it is then." He said wandering around with her collecting noodles, sauce and vegetables. Anything he could use in an easy pasta. It was getting late after all.

Kristen helped pick up any items that Edward needed as she went through the store with him.

"Do you like ice cream?" Edward asked as he turned the corner of an aisle and walked straight into the chest of a man who was almost as tall as him, but twice as large. "Oh, I'm so sorry I ... Officer Collins." Edward said adjusting his glasses that were slipping down his nose. "I'm sorry I didn't-"

Collins shoved Edward back. "Watch where you're going, Nygma," he sneered. He looked over at Kristen, smirking slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a grocery store," Kristen said flatly, unamused. "So we're buying groceries."

"Yeah I get that ... But why with him?" Collins asked. "Don't tell me you rejected me today for this loser." He said sounding rather disgusted.

"You don't have to call people names," Kristen said evenly. She didn't want this to escalate; Edward wasn't cut out for fighting, and she just wanted to spend a quiet evening together, preferably somewhere other than the emergency room. "I told you I was seeing somebody. Just go ask out someone else."

Collins sighed and looked around. He couldn't believe she'd reject him for this socially awkward freak.

Edward didn't even have time to react as Collins swung forward, his fist making firm contact with Ed's stomach, the basket falling from his hands causing food to scatter all over the floor. Edward doubled over with a loud 'oof' the air rushing from his lungs as he tried to steady himself on the ground. He should have seen that coming.

"Stop it!" Kristen shouted, rushing in front of Edward, putting herself between him and Collins. "Just stop it!" She was shaking from both anger and fear. "He didn't do anything to you. Why can't you just handle this like an adult and leave us both alone!?"

An older man in a store apron appeared in the aisle, a stern look on his face. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to stop bothering these two and leave."

"Sir, this man was caught stealing from your store," Collins said before the man started laughing.

"Get outta here ..." He said waving him off. "Before I call someone who's worse than the cops." He said threateningly. "Believe you me ... You don't want any trouble kid ... Go." He said turning towards Ed who was still doubled over on the floor, as the cop grumbled and left. "The bullies just get bigger hey Ed?" The man asked as Ed sat against one of the shelves. "You okay kid?"

"Yeah ..." Ed said quietly. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for the disruption."

"Bah ... Ain't no one here anyway. Too close to closin' time." He said bending down to place the items back in the basket.

"Thanks for getting him to go away," Kristen said earnestly, offering Edward a hand up.

"Now Ed ..." The man said picking up the basket as Ed stood up. "Are you going to introduce me to your lady friend here?" The man asked smiling at her.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners?" Ed said though he was still holding his stomach and breathing a bit funny. "Kristen this is Ben. Ben, this is my ... Uh ... This is Kristen." He said his cheeks tinting red with embarrassment at saying she was his girlfriend. Not because he was embarrassed of her but ... Calling her his girlfriend sounded so ... Juvenile.

"Pleased to meet you, Ben," Kristen said politely. Though the situation could have been better. She hoped Collins didn't bring his aggressive attitude to work after this… at least at the precinct, he'd be held to some minimal standard of professionalism, but she was still worried that he might continue to hold it against Edward.

"The pleasure is all mine." Ben said with a kind smile. "It's nice to see Ed making some ... Friends." He said knowing that she was clearly more. It was rather obvious. "Making dinner for your girl Ed?"

"Uh ... Yeah." Ed said shyly.

"Well, I must say it's a good thing Marian taught you how to cook then." He said with a laugh. "Otherwise you'd be more useless in the kitchen than I am." He said with a chuckle.

"Oh!" said Kristen, smiling warmly as she made the connection to the kindly librarian Ed had spoken of. "So you're Marian's husband?" she asked. Moreover, that solved the mystery of how Edward had learnt to cook like that; there was no way he had picked that skill up either among the bookshelves of a public library or in the streets of Gotham.

"I am," Ben said. "I take it Ed's told you about her. I can't say I'm surprised. Damn near saved his life. This boy wasn't cut out for that life." He said elbowing Ed playfully in the arm. "Say, why don't you two come for dinner tonight. Stores going to close in a few minutes and I'm out of here."

Kristen looked over at Edward. "How does that sound to you?" she asked. It seemed like a delightful idea to her, and Edward had to be tired after work anyway; he might not feel particularly up to cooking after being punched in the stomach by a muscle-bound Cretin either. Then again, he'd said he had something to tell her, and going over to Marian and Ben' place might not be conducive to that.

"We can. You did say you wanted to meet Marian." Edward said.

"I should warn you though girl," Ben said walking Edward and Kristen towards the checkout. "My wife has a very poor filter on her. I hope you don't offend easily. She never means anything by what she says though."

"I can understand that," Kristen said, unbothered. There were some situations where her verbal filter could completely shut down too, though she was generally better about controlling it than she used to be.

"Jody ..." Ben called out to the girl at the till. "Bag up Ed's stuff here. Don't worry about the bill."

"Ben, no. It's okay I can pay for it." Edward said his cheeks turning a deep red. He hated it when Ben gave him things. He wasn't a homeless kid anymore.

"Nonsense ... You know as well as I do you don't make enough money to do the job you do ... Might as well work at a coffee shop. Less stress and probably almost as much pay." Ben said knowing the GCPD seriously underpaid Ed for such a stressing job. "It's fine Ed." He said patting him on the back.

"That's really very kind of you," Kristen said sincerely. She felt a little bad about it too, but she could tell Ben wouldn't take no for an answer. It was nice to know, really, that someone else was looking out for Ed. She took Edward's hand in hers as they followed after Ben.

"I'll give you a ride home then." Ed said. "We're parked out front, just come meet us when you're done your shift." He said not wanting to distract him from his close out.

"Sounds good to me. See you in a few Eddie Boy." He said ruffling Ed's hair despite being more than a head shorter than him.

Kristen smiled in quiet amusement as Ben ruffled Edward's hair. "He seems nice," she said as Ed fixed his hair.

Once Ben reached the car, his apron now gone, they were on their way back to Ed's apartment building.

"We live in the same apartment building as Ed, just a few floors down. The buildings not the best, but it looks a sight better since Ed took it over for us." Ben said as they pulled up to the apartment. "I can't figure out why he wanted the one with that damned neon light on the window, though ... Thing would drive me batty, trying to sleep with that thing on all night."

"Sounds like a good arrangement," Kristen said, smiling slightly. "Though I can see how that light could get to be a problem." It certainly was relentlessly bright right outside Ed's window. She was surprised personally, that she'd been able to sleep as well there as she had. Perhaps it was because she'd found his presence comforting. It was a definite improvement, at least, over waking up alone to some sound in the middle of the night, worrying that Tom had come back and was lurking somewhere in the darkness, about to make good on his threat … "It's a good thing Ed likes green so much."

"Yes well ..." Ed said as he parked out on the street. "It was my condition when they approached me about putting the thing on the building. And I'd rather have it outside my window rather than someone else's, I'd have to lower the rent on that apartment." He said as they got out of the car, Ben collecting the two bags of groceries that were in the back with him. "Besides ... It looks neat. And I don't really like the dark, so it never really bothers me."

"It does look neat," Kristen agreed, patting Edward affectionately on the shoulder. And it gave his apartment a certain unique feel to it.

Ben lead the two up to his apartment, unlocking it with a quiet click. "Marian! I'm home. I brought guests I hope that's okay."

"Oh, when do I ever mind?" a cheerful voice called out from inside, before a bright-eyed and energetic lady bustled out of the kitchen, smiling when she saw Ed. "It's good to see you again, Edward dear," she said, then looked over at Kristen. Her eyes lit up as she looked from Kristen to Edward and back again. "Well," she said delightedly. "It's about time! That does explain why we've seen so little of you lately … Oh, where are my manners?" she amended quickly, though she didn't seem terribly bothered. Marian held out her hand, shaking Kristen's warmly. "I'm Marian. You must be a friend of Edward's?"

"Yes," Kristen smiled. "We work together. He's told me so much about you."

"Pleased to meet you," Marian said. "But could you tell us, please, what exactly are your intentions with Edward?"

"Um…" Kristen stammered, taken aback. She glanced over at Ed, hoping he knew the right way to respond to that. Edward might be awkward in most social situations, but at least he knew Marian better than she did.

"Marian." He said in a kind but scolding tone, his hands going to her upper arms. "I love you but be nice ..." He said smiling as he kissed her cheek.

"Eh you know Marian," Ben said going into the kitchen and pulling the lid off the giant pot to see what Marian was making.

"Hey hey ... Get out of that." She said waving her tea towel at him.

Kristen relaxed a little as the tension broke. "Is there anything I can help with?" she asked.

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Marian. "Everything's almost ready… I said almost, Ben. Put that down." She said smacking his hand with a wooden spoon that had been sitting on the counter.

Ben shook his hand as she smacked him and dropped the lid with a light clang. "Alright, alright woman!" He said backing away. Edward chuckled as he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out some plates to set the table.

Kristen followed Edward's lead, going to help set the table. She smiled slightly at the way Ben and Marian messed with each other. They were kind of adorable, really.

Ben sat at the table as Ed and Kristen set the table. "So how is work Ed?"

"Good. It's been busy lately." He said pulling out Kristen's chair for her when the table was set. "No surprise there, it is Gotham."

"And what do you do Kristen? Assuming you're a career woman." Ben said. It seemed more women these days were choosing to work.

"I just take care of the files at GCPD," Kristen said with a modest smile. "Nothing terribly exciting."

"Nothing terribly exciting?" Edward said. "She basically keeps the entire place in line. Every time there's a case she keeps track of it. She knows where every case file over the past twenty years is located ..." He paused before muttering. "Even if the organisation system is in quite a state of disarray." He said clearing his throat.

"I'm sure it's well organised." Marian said. "We women like our things just as is! Isn't that right Christina?" She asked as she ladled what looked like cabbage rolls into a casserole dish and brought it to the table.

"It's just Kristen … but that's exactly right," Kristen told Marian, shoving Edward's arm playfully. "Hey, it's an organisation system that works for me. I know exactly where everything is," she said.

"Yes, but it's wrong ..." Edward insisted.

"Edward," Ben warned. "I will convey some very ... Very important information to you. But you must listen to me very carefully." He said as if telling the whole room a secret. "The success of any relationship ... Is dependent on a man's realisation ... That women are never wrong." He said patting Edward's hand. "Take that from a wise man ..."

"Surely you don't mean you dear?" Marian laughed as she sat down.

"Oh, you wound me." He said grabbing his chest as if he were actually hurt. "Of course I mean me dear, who else would I mean?" He said pulling a few cabbage rolls onto his plate.

Kristen laughed at the pair of them. "Well, I don't know about that," she said. "But you do seem to be onto something." She took a bite of one of the cabbage rolls. "Marian, these are amazing," she said sincerely. "I don't suppose I could trouble you for the recipe?"

"Family recipe, I'm afraid." She said with a bit of a smile on her face. "Now if you had intentions on becoming a part of the family ..." She said glancing at Ed.

"Marian." Edward said again, the woman really had no filter.

"What?" Marian asked. "You're the closest thing to a son we have since-" she paused and went silent a moment. "Well ... You're our family Edward. And I want some grand babies before I die!" She said muttering something under her breath making Ed choke slightly on his food.

Kristen blushed profusely. "I do appreciate how welcoming you're being," she said, smiling it off. "But I'm afraid you're going to give poor Edward a heart attack."

"Oh well it's nothing to fuss about. You're much better than that hussy he dated a while back. What was her name Edward?"

"She wasn't a hussy!" Edward said his face turning red with embarrassment.

"She was a hussy Edward. What did I tell you about her? She was using you and what did she do?" Marian asked pointing her fork at Ed. "She used you. As I said. But I'm glad you found a nice woman Edward. You fight to keep this one!" She said digging into her food.

Kristen blushed further. Marian certainly did seem staunchly in favour of her … and they'd only just met her. How could they logically know if she was any different from this supposed 'hussy' from just a few minutes? And could she lose Marian and Ben's approval as quickly as she'd gained it? She glanced over at Edward, commiserating with his embarrassment. She was a little surprised, really, to hear that there had been someone else before her. But she didn't feel really bothered by it. She was hardly one to talk when it came to bad past relationship choices.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Yes well ... Forgive me for my poor judge of character." He said stabbing his cabbage roll a little harder than he had intended. He hated how they always brought up his ex's with his new girlfriend. It always started a fight later, and a fight was not what he needed tonight. Him and Kristen really needed to talk.

Seeing that Edward seemed a little upset, Kristen reached over and lightly touched his hand for a moment, trying to let him know that she didn't intend to make a big deal of it. So Edward had exes. He already knew about hers. "Yes, well," she said. "You know I haven't always been such a stellar judge of character myself."

"Well." Marian said, raising her glass. "To new relationships." She said as Ben raised his own glass.

"Hear, hear!" Ben said as Ed smiled.

"I'll drink to that," Kristen agreed, giving Edward a sidelong smile. She'd become so disillusioned about what to expect out of a relationship before she'd given Edward a chance… But everything seemed different now. She really hoped this would work out.

((A/N - Sorry for the long wait. I'll be posting another chapter hopefully tonight once it's proof read. As always please leave a comment, we feed of them.))


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Dinner had gone surprisingly well, despite their embarrassing conversation at the beginning of dinner. Marian had packaged them a container for supper tomorrow.

He unlocked the door and slid it open, tossing his keys onto the table by the door.

"I'm sorry if Marian embarrassed you ... She uh ... She speaks her mind." Edward said putting the container into the fridge.

"Don't worry about it," Kristen reassured him with a slight smile, taking off her coat as she entered. "She was just being family. I can see why you like them so much; they seem like really caring people."

"Yeah, they are. I don't think I'd be here if not for them." He said adjusting the glasses on his nose. "So ..." He paused not really sure what to do. He knew they needed to talk but wasn't really sure how to bring it up. Should he bring it up now? They just walked in the door. Should he wait? "Would you like some tea?"

"I'd love some," Kristen said, kissing Edward on the cheek.

Edward busied himself making tea, preparing two mugs. "So uh ... I ... Had something I wanted to talk to you about." Edward said lamely as the water boiled. He poured both mugs and brought one over to her.

Kristen took the steaming mug, nodding as she sat down, looking up at Edward expectantly. "So you said," she remembered. "You look so serious, Edward. Is everything okay?"

"Um … Well …. No." Edward said, his finger running over the rim of his mug. "Do you remember when I told you I talk to myself? That I have this voice in my head, a stronger version of me that keeps me in line?" Edward asked her.

"Yes," Kristen said slowly, a little confused. So he talked to himself sometimes. Lots of people did. It was a little quirky, but she thought they'd already established that it didn't bother her. "I remember."

"Well …. I wasn't …. Referring to my conscience as I believe you thought I meant. I don't just talk to myself. I actually do hear another voice in my head and yes it is mine but …. I have no control over it. I also see another me in the room, not all the time but … When he talks I see him and I know he's not real and I know it's just a figment of my imagination I guess but ….." Edward paused as if he didn't know how to continue. "He tells me to do things … Not …. Not very nice things."

Kristen stared back at him, quiet for a moment as she tried to process what he was telling her. "Oh. I… I see." She took a deep breath. "So… So you know it's not real, but… You still hear it? And you still um… see yourself too?"

"Yeah …. I haven't seen him since …. Since our first date but …. He generally shows up if I'm scared or nervous or distressed." Edward said not looking up at her. "He was the one that talked me into asking you out. He wasn't very nice about it either …. I suppose that's why I wasn't very nice about it when I asked you …. He said you'd have to say yes because you owed me for saving your life. I know that's not true but …. He made a convincing argument."

"He… made a convincing argument?" Kristen repeated, not realizing that she was shaking slightly. "So… does that… does that mean you kind of thought that too?"

It wouldn't be the first time she'd dealt with that kind of reasoning. A guy would do something nice that she'd never asked for, and then turn around and tell her she owed him. Still, she'd thought things would be different this time. But just because the voice in his head had said that didn't mean he believed it… only that it had occurred to him. That much, at least, wasn't his fault. Hell, it had occurred to her too.

"No! No, no no … I … That's not what I meant. I …." He paused running his hand over his mouth in frustration with himself. "No. I was trying to ask you out for a long time before that …. And every time I came close I always backed out at the last second. I guess I just …. Kind of let him bully me into it. I don't believe that you owe me for a second …. I don't … I just …. I needed to convince myself to do it."

She shook her head, not wanting to think about that right now. There was too much to process at once. "What… what else does he say?"

"Just … I don't know. He scolds me a lot. Tells me when I'm being an idiot. He tells me when I need to get things done but don't want to. He's …. Not very nice." Edward said looking quite upset about it.

"No, he doesn't sound very nice at all," Kristen agreed wryly, not knowing what else to say. Though Edward had been nothing but kind to her … It couldn't be easy for him, telling her he literally heard voices in his head. And it wasn't his fault. But … sticking around could be dangerous for her. This Other Ed told him terrible things, evidently, and sometimes he listened … But this had to be so terrifying for Edward. How could she leave him alone, knowing that? And he at least knew it wasn't real … Hadn't everything been fine between them so far? She liked Ed a lot, and right now, he needed her.

She reached over and took Edward's hand in hers. "How long… how long has this been happening?" she asked, trying to stay calm. "Does anyone else know? Have you tried to get help?"

"I don't need help." Edward said his voice an angry whisper.

'Oh that's smart.' Ed jumped and looked over at the hallucination he had not seen in over two weeks. 'Let's scare her off. Then again … She does seem to have a thing for angry men.'

"I'm sorry. I …." He paused and took a deep breath, ignoring the man he knew didn't exist. "It's been happening for a few months now …."

'You know it's not nice to talk about someone behind their back.' Bad Ed said standing behind Miss. Kringle. Edward's hands went to the edge of the table.

"No one else knows." He said trying to keep his breathing even as the hallucination walked around to the other side of the table.

"Ed?" Kristen asked gently, a little frightened, tentatively touching his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

'You're lying.' Bad Ed said in almost a sing song voice, his finger playing over the wood of the windowsill near by.

"I'm sorry … Kristen I …. I don't want to scare you. And … I'd never hurt you … I wouldn't …. He wouldn't either. I'd never let him…" He said ignoring the laughter he heard from his other self. "I just …. I just …. I'd understand if you want to leave. I just … Didn't want to keep this from you."

'Oh how chivalrous of you.' Bad Ed mocked.

Kristen was still for a moment, before getting up and going over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "I don't want to leave," she said quietly. "I don't … really know what to do about this, but… I don't plan on leaving anytime soon."

Edward was surprised when he felt her arms wrap around him. He looked up at her and wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her to sit in his lap, their tea forgotten.

"Thank you." He said kissing her shoulder. He'd been so upset about telling her, scared she'd leave but … He was more scared of what would happen if she didn't know … If she ever walked in on worse than what had happened on their first date.

"Edward… I've never been in a relationship this good before. I don't plan on throwing that away, because of something that's not even your fault."

"I haven't been in a relationship this good either. I'll be honest I keep waiting for something bad to happen …. It's not that I don't trust you it's just …. Women tend to date me either because they think I make a lot of money being a forensic scientist and then break up with me when they realize I don't …. Or they just date me because …." He paused not finishing that sentence.

"Because...?" Kristen asked, looking at him with concern. She'd never heard him talk about his exes before, and bad relationships were something she could relate to.

"Because I'm easy to hurt." He said hating to admit that. "My last ex admitted it … She only agreed to go out with me because I told her about my father, and she knew because of that I'd … 'Take it' as she said. It makes me worry a lot about-" Edward stopped again mid sentence. Why was he running his mouth tonight. He shouldn't have brought that up. He wanted to tell her about that tonight as well but she already had a lot to take in. "Never mind …. I shouldn't be talking about my ex's anyway." He said in a way of a pathetic apology.

Kristen shook her head. "It's alright, you don't need to apologize," she said, holding him tighter. "No one should be treated that way by people who are supposed to care about them." Though she could relate to that far too easily. "I'll admit… I've kept thinking something was going to go wrong too… But I… I believe that you wouldn't hurt me. And… I hope you believe the same about me. So... "

"I trust you not to …. At least not intentionally." He said quietly, his hand running gently down her shoulder.

She hesitated, since he seemed like he might not want to talk about it. "What is it that you're worried about?"

"What?" Ed asked confused.

"You said you were worried about something … If you don't mind me asking." Kristen said quietly.

"Well … That was another thing I wanted to talk to you about tonight, if … If you didn't leave. And by the looks of it you're not so …" He took a deep breath. "When Marian was so bitter about my ex it wasn't just because she used me …. She did. I'm still paying off debts because of her but …" He paused, wondering how he should tell her. Scared how she'd react. "But she's also mad because she … She practically took my son away from me. I should have told you sooner but … I don't really tell anyone about him. I'm supposed to get him every second weekend but usually she makes excuses on why he can't come here. I think I've seen him maybe twice in the past four months." He said not looking at her as he spoke. "The only reason she keeps him from me is because she knows it hurts me … I'm scared my sons going to have the same childhood I did, and I can't do anything about it."

"Your… your son?" Kristen repeated, wide-eyed. A son. Edward had a son. And he seemed really worried and distraught about him … But Edward had a son. "I… I'm sorry," she said, still holding him close. "That's … that's really terrible." She didn't know how to process this either … but after the voices, it strangely seemed less overwhelming by comparison. "How… how old is he?" she asked.

"He's two." He said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him sooner." He said looking up at her. "I was just nervous about how you'd react."

"Well, it's… a lot to take in," Kristen admitted. "But I understand why you didn't want to tell me sooner … You don't exactly drop that kind of bomb on a first date. I'm just glad you're telling me now." With as much baggage as Edward was bringing into the relationship, if he'd told her all this earlier, before she got a chance to know him at all … She liked to think it wouldn't have bothered her, but she honestly wasn't sure. "I don't… really know what to do about all this, but…" she looked down at him. "I like you a lot."

Complications or not, things so far had been good between them. Kristen was willing to stay and see how things would go.

"I understand … And I like you a lot too. I wouldn't have told you about him if I didn't." He said leaning up and kissing her.

Kristen kissed him back gently, running a hand through his hair. Even as overwhelmed as she was by all of this, she felt a lot closer to understanding him, and it meant so much that he'd confided in her. She smiled slightly as she broke the kiss and looked down at him. "You're a very complicated man, Mr. Nygma."

"I thought I was a very strange man." He said with a smirk. "And for the last time … Call me Edward. Or Ed … Or Eddie … I really don't care which."

"Yes Edward, dear," Kristen said, kissing him on the cheek. "And strange isn't always bad, you know. I mean, have you seen normal people?"

"In Gotham? I can't say I've met any." He said with a laugh. "Then again I didn't know any back in Idaho either."

Kristen smiled at that, but her thoughts were already racing back over everything he'd told her. "What's… what's your son like?" she asked. She might as well know more about him. "What's his name?"

"His name is Rubix Edgar Free." He said before taking a small sip of his tea, which was getting cold. "He's pretty well behaved for a two year old. At least when he's with me he is. He's starting to like video games the last time he was here, he's not very good but he played Tetris for over an hour." He said shrugging.

"Sounds like he takes after his dad," said Kristen. "You miss him, don't you?" she asked quietly.

"A lot yeah. I tried going to my lawyer about her keeping him from me, but he said doing anything about it would be a waste of time. Unless I can come up with proof that there isn't a legitimate reason he can't come here. The courts would side with her."

Kristen wrapped her arms around Edward again. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm sure… I'm sure he knows how much you care about him." She wished she knew what else to say. It was a terrible situation, no matter how she looked at it.

"I suppose I should have told you this before I asked you to move in with me huh?" He asked with a slight chuckle. Sure she had said she'd think about it … But this would be something to consider while thinking about it.

Kristen laughed quietly. "Yes, that would be good to know before making that decision."

Ed sat there a moment sipping his tea, Kristen still in his lap. It was a little uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how to proceed from here.

"Hey … You said you like video games right?" He asked suddenly.

"Of course," said Kristen, smiling slightly at Edward's abrupt change in the subject.

"Come on. Let me show you my game room." He said smiling excitedly as he took Kristen's hand and stood up.

He walked over to a trap door in the floor and pulled it open. "Hold on I'll have to go down and turn on the light. Be careful on the stairs it's …. They're so narrow they might as well be a ladder." He said going down the stairs. He disappeared out of view before a sound came from the basement, a very clear indicator he'd slid down the last few stairs. "I'm okay …" He said flicking on the light switch.

Kristen winced as she heard Edward fall. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, concerned, following him down the stairs. "We really need to have a rule against you hurting yourself."

"Yeah I'm sure that'll work." He said sarcastically. "Come on down."

Kristen reached the bottom of the stairs, looking around. The basement was a lot larger than the upstairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a pool table made from a black onyx wood with a vibrant neon green felt. To the left was a couch in the middle of the room by a support pole, facing a large tv on the wall above a shelf covered in consoles. To the far left was shelving from floor to ceiling covered in more video games than she'd ever seen together outside of a game store. To the right of the pool table were several arcade systems, a nook with a small bed which must have been Rubix' bed. A large toy chest that looked like it had been custom built out of wood with 'Rubix' burned onto the lid and a play area made of soft foam puzzle pieces of various colours.

"Edward…" Kristen said, her eyes wide with delight. "This is amazing! How long did it even take you to collect all of this?" Just the video game collection alone could have added up to a small fortune.

"Marian started me off. She got me a Super Nintendo for Christmas one year. She gave me an allowance every week. You know for food and stuff. Being the responsible teen I was, I spent it on video games. She knew but … Never said anything." He said moving to the couch. "I have every video game you could possibly think of."

"Do you have Battletoads?" Kristen asked smugly.

Edward laughed. "I do have Battletoads actually." He said looking up at her.

"I stand corrected," Kristen smiled. "You really do have everything." She wandered over to the shelves, looking through all of the many titles. "Really, I've never met anyone with a collection this impressive." It was a veritable treasure trove… and it took a great effort for her to refrain from bouncing in place from enthusiasm.

"Do you want to play one?" He asked. "Oh but if you take a game down please put it back where it came from. All my games are sorted laterally by genre and alphabetized in each section." He said sitting back on the black sofa. It was actually more complicated than that but that didn't need to be said.

"Of course," Kristen laughed. "I would never mess up your lateral organization system," she teased, before her eyes settled on Minecraft. "Ooh!" she said, pulling it off the shelf. "I've been meaning to get this!" She ran over to the corresponding console, stopping to kiss Edward on the cheek on the way.

"Minecraft?" Edward said, trying not to sound as if he were complaining.

Kristen turned around from the cubby shelf full of consoles and looked back at him, her hands resting on her hips. "What's wrong with Minecraft?" she asked, feeling a little judged. Only now did it occur to her that this might be a test.

"Nothing. Unless you have way too many hours invested into it." He said. "Please don't blow up my city." He said picking out two controllers out of a black trunk next to the couch.

"I won't blow up your city," Kristen said, mildly indignant, as she sat next to him on the couch and took one of the controllers. She relaxed a little, understanding now that he wasn't judging her taste in games; he was just concerned about her messing up the effort that he'd put into building his own world.

Ed used the remote to flick on the tv, setting the input to the proper one and started up the game. "You can do anything you want in here, just please don't push the button on the edge of this city." He said going over to the button and showing her.

Kristen nodded attentively. "I solemnly swear I will not push the button." She thought she would probably go wander off outside of Edward's city and create something new, where she wouldn't disturb what he had painstakingly created … but first, she wanted to investigate and see what he had built. "Wow, Ed…" she said, as she wandered through Edward's elaborate creation. "You weren't kidding…. This really is a city." She looked over at him. "How long did it take to make this?"

"Many … Many lonely weekends." He said laughing as he followed her around.

"No shame in that," Kristen said, as she wandered throughout the city. "I've had a few of those myself."

"We can start a new world if you want. Build something together." He said as he moved his character over to his house to put some items into a chest.

"That could be fun," Kristen said, wandering over in the general direction of the dreaded button. "Though don't tell me you've colonized this entire world?"

"There's …. Very little space left." He said blushing slightly as he paused the game to exit.

"That really is impressive," she said. "I don't think I've ever even heard of that level of dedication before." She paused for a moment, feeling slightly mischievous. But if he could exit without saving, and from everything she'd heard about the gameplay, he could … it wouldn't hurt to mess with him just a little, would it? "Wait," she said. "Can I look around a little more?"

Edward looked at her and shrugged. It was a big world and she'd only seen part of it. "If you want." He said unpausing the game and going back over to her.

Kristen smirked slightly, and continued in the direction she'd been heading before Edward paused. "You know, Ed," she said, with a slight mischievous smile. "You really should know better than to tell someone not to press the big red button… They'll do the same thing every time."

"It's technically small and grey bu-" Ed paused when she realized what she meant. "NO DO-"

She pressed the button.

Edward stopped mid sentence as he heard the slight click. He slowly looked at Kristen looking awfully annoyed as everything started exploding, lava pouring out of different areas, TNT flying in every direction before the game froze, the image on screen shaking slightly for a few moments before it booted them both out of the game. "Really?" Edward asked as he started the game back up again to see if the game had saved. "I suppose that was my fault. Had I not said anything you wouldn't have touched it."

"Exactly," Kristen said, unable to help laughing slightly at the look of annoyance on Edward's face. He really was adorable… and she could recall a couple of occasions early on when she'd been just as exasperated with him. "Or, you know, not put a self destruct button there in the first place." She patted his shoulder. "It's not as if it saved, you know…"

"It's plan E …. In case someone invaded!" He said. It was an obvious joke for when it was built . The game loaded up and instantly Edwards character started falling. He hit the ground with a crack and sighed as he looked around. The city had stopped exploding but a good chunk of it was missing, at least 90% of this section was gone. At least the crash had stopped it from spreading. "It did save …" Edward said turning off the game and putting his controller on the table.

Kristen's expression changed in an instant when she realized what she'd done. The mirthful smile faded without a trace, her eyes widened at the digital carnage she had wrought, and her hands went to cover her mouth in shock. "It… it saved?" she repeated. "Ed… I… I'm sorry. I just… the reviews said you could exit without saving, and I didn't think… You told me not to, I shouldn't have… I'm sorry." All his hard work destroyed because she'd thought it would be a funny joke… She felt terrible.

"It's okay." He said, he was used to having his things broken. "It's just a game. It can be fixed." He said as he looked at her. "I'm the one who covered the entire underground with TNT." He said. "Me and a friend of mine built the place. We thought it would be funny. We set it off a few times but it's never saved before. Scared the hell out of his little brother though." He said with a laugh. "We didn't say anything about the button. Just let him find it on his own."

"But… but I destroyed it," she said, still devastated. She looked up at him, shocked that he wasn't yelling at her, that he didn't even seem angry. "You put all that time and effort into it, and I just blew it up."

"It's fine … Don't worry about it." He said with a shrug. "Do you want to play a different game instead or …. Do something else?" He asked.

Kristen nodded quietly, still confused by his lack of anger. "Is there something we can play where I won't wreck everything?"

"Pretty much anything." He said. "Take your pick."

Kristen made herself smile, though she still felt the guilt gnawing at her. Just the sheer number of hours he'd sunk into building that city… "We could play Mario Kart," she suggested.

"Sure." He said getting up and switching the panel over to the proper console. He turned the system on and handed her a controller.

Kristen accepted the controller and immediately selected Waluigi.

"Oh no you don't!" Ed said looking over at her and going over to the one next to Waluigi, unable to select his usual character. "Get off me." Ed said flicking his selected character icon back and forth around Waluigi.

"Hey, I was here first," said Kristen, laughing. "And I always play as Waluigi."

"So do I … Go play a princess." He said reaching for her controller.

"Excuse you!" Kristen said, moving away from him on the couch and holding the controller out of his reach. "I will not go be a princess! You go be a princess!"

"Funny." Edward said reaching over her for the controller. "I'm not above fighting dirty." Edward said laughing.

"And here I thought you were such a gentleman!" Kristen laughed, shoving him back with her legs. "Just pick another character!"

Edward allowed her to push him back slightly before he climbed over her reaching for the controller, his own controller falling and selecting the character he was currently on.

"No …. Give me that!" He said laughing as he started tickling her. "You're going to make us both lose!"

"No!" she giggled, flinching as he tickled her, curling up around the controller so he couldn't get it. "You let go! You're the one making us lose!"

Edward pulled her arm free, using one hand to pin her down the other still reaching for the controller which she managed to hold out of his reach. Well, if tickling didn't stop her.

He looked down at her a wicked smirk on his face before he lowered himself down, his lips meeting hers in a surprisingly gentle kiss.

Kristen was still struggling to keep the controller out of his reach when he abruptly leaned down and kissed her. She froze at first, surprised, before her eyes closed, and she leaned up into his kiss.

Edward ran his hands down her arms as he pressed his tongue against her mouth momentarily before he pulled back. "That was a little too easy." He said with a smile on his face and holding up her controller and turning towards the Tv to start driving, that wicked grin back on his face.

"What?" said Kristen, her eyes blinking open. "No, that's cheating!" she protested, sitting up. But then … she supposed that two could play that game. She smirked as she wrapped her arms around him and started softly kissing down his neck.

Edward smiled at her attempts to distract him as he turned the corner of the race track. He had to admit though, her arms around him and her lips on his neck did feel good.

He was still managing to make his way around the track … Clearly, she had to do better. She nipped playfully at his ear, her hands moving down over his chest.

"Are you trying to cheat Miss. Kringle?" Edward asked despite the fact that he could feel his cock twitch inside of his pants as she moved her hands down his chest. "If that is your goal I'm afraid you'd have better chances at starting the race. I believe you made me pick Bowser, so the controller is all yours." He said moving the controller over to her though he doubted she'd take it.

"You're the one who's cheating," Kristen whispered softly in his ear before kissing down his neck again, her hands continuing to trail further downward. "I'm not stopping until I get my controller back. You will simply have to deal with it."

"Or I could just finish the race." He said tilting his head as she kissed his neck, his hands still moving the thumbstick on the controller as he hit lap 2.

"Good luck with that," Kristen smirked, slipping a hand into Edward's pants, amused to find that his cock was already slightly stiffening. "A little distracted already, are we?"

Edward moaned as she slipped her hand into his pants, his character swerving slightly as he felt his cock harden more in her hand, though he got it back under control as he hit lap 3.

"Nice save," she said, her hand starting to stroke gently up and down his cock, pausing to toy teasingly with the tip.

Edwards breathing sped up slightly as he turned the corner of the track. As much as he wanted to see if he could finish the race, despite the fact that she wasn't racing, he couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of her hand on him.

He placed the controller on his knee, using his thumb to hold down the A button and his pinky to move the thumbstick. He used his free hand to unbuckle his belt and open the button of his pants before he had to take the controller back into both hands since he was losing control.

Kristen smiled slightly. Even if Edward didn't act angry about the Minecraft mishap, it seemed he would give her an opportunity to make it up to him tonight…. but for now, there was still the matter of the controller. She continued to stroke at Edward's shaft, while her free hand made a grab for the controller.

"Mmm you know …. Not that distracted yet." He said taking two seconds to unzip his fly before his hand went back to the controller, in the process crashing into a wall and spinning out of control. "Oh my …" He said as he tried turning the kart around.

"Really?" Kristen said skeptically, watching his car spin out on the screen. "Because it seems like you're getting there." Her thumb ran lightly over the tip of Edward's cock as she continued to stroke the shaft.

"Perhaps." He said managing to get the kart the proper way around and continued down the track. "Or perhaps you're not trying hard enough." He said, that wicked grin back on his face.

Kristen nipped Edward's ear a little harder than before, her hand abruptly leaving his cock as she moved out from behind him on the couch. "I can't help feeling insulted," she said, getting up from the couch, arms crossed, pouting.

"You're the one who started this game." He said pausing it and putting the controller down. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her neck. "If that's what you wanted all you had to do was say so." He said nipping at her neck as she had done to his ear.

Kristen laughed softly. "Edward, dear, I don't really feel insulted," she assured him. "And I wasn't really going to stop." In fact, if he'd stayed put on the couch a moment longer, she would be on her knees trying out a different distraction technique. "I was just messing with you a little bit." She thought she'd kept her tone light and playful enough that he wouldn't think she was really irritated… Evidently, they still had some work to do on their communication.

"I know." Edward said as his hands moved down her sides. "But I lied …." He said quietly. "You were doing a very good job distracting me … And I didn't want you to stop distracting me." He said moving his lips over the soft skin of her neck.

Kristen smiled at that. "You're pretty distracting yourself," she said, leaning back against him as he kissed down her neck.

Edward breathed in her scent as he pressed his hardened cock against her ass through his underwear and her skirt.

"Perhaps we should turn the system off …. Go upstairs?" He asked, shifting his hips against her.

Kristen blushed slightly as she felt Edward's already hard cock press against her. She nodded, pressing back against him. "I'm… in favour of that idea," she said.

((A/N - As always please leave comments/reviews. I'm a sucker for them! :D Hope you enjoyed, sorry for the cliff hanger. Next chapter ... Sexy times!))


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Edward reluctantly pulled away from her and turned the system and TV off before coming back and taking her hand in his to lead her upstairs.

Kristen smiled as Edward took her hand, happy that he seemed to be confident enough now to initiate things with her. Perhaps it was because she now knew all the things he'd been afraid to tell her, and didn't have to worry anymore about whether that would come between him. Strangely, even though what he'd told her was still pretty overwhelming, and she couldn't help wondering whether he was right about not needing help… overall, she just felt closer to him now. Before, he'd been such a mystery, but now she felt a sense of trust between them that hadn't been there before. She kissed him on the cheek as they headed up the stairs.

Edward followed behind her, allowing her to go first, clicking off the light as he went upstairs.

Once they were back upstairs, Kristen turned around, putting her arms around Edward as she leaned up to kiss him.

Ed kissed her back as the back of her knees hit the bed. His hands roamed over her shirt, pulling the buttons loose and pulling it free from her skirt before tossing it to the floor.

Kristen loosened Edward's tie, pulling it off and letting it slide to the floor, before beginning to unbutton Edward's shirt, looking up at him questioningly, gauging his reaction to see whether he was comfortable with her taking it off this time, now that she'd seen the scars.

Edward didn't say anything as he pulled down the zipper on her skirt, his hands sliding under it on her hips before it slid to the floor. His hands roamed back up to her breasts. "You're so beautiful." He said quietly, his fingers moving over her nipples through the thin material of her bra.

She blushed at his words, not knowing what to say in response. She didn't really think she was that beautiful … but Edward certainly seemed to. She pressed forward slightly against his hands, her nipples hardening at his gentle touch. She leaned up and kissed him again, as she finished unbuttoning Edward's shirt. He didn't seem self-conscious about it now … If anything, he was being bolder than last time. She pulled the shirt down over his shoulders, her hands starting to roam over his chest, down his sides, across his back, enjoying the feeling of his body against her. Holding him just somehow felt different from anyone she'd been with before, as if she and Ed somehow just fit.

Edward's hands slid behind her back, his fingers trailing over her skin before he tried to open the clasp of her bra. He fought with it for a moment before he got it open and pulled her bra open, letting the material fall to the ground as her hands slipped under his undershirt, running over his back, testing to see whether he was comfortable with her touching his bare skin before she began to tug at the undershirt pulling it up.

He hesitated a moment before he helped her to remove his undershirt, tossing it onto the floor by her bra.

Kristen smiled up at him, before leaning up into a kiss, wrapping her arms around him and running her hands over his shoulders, her fingers brushing against the hateful scar, but she made no reaction to it, neither recoiling from it nor lingering over it as he leaned into the kiss, deepening it as he pushed her back on the bed and climbing on top of her. The bulge in his pants pressing down into her as he deepened the kiss.

She moaned low in her throat, her hands running through the back of Ed's hair as she pulled him closer to her, her hips moving forward so that Edward's cock rubbed against her through his pants.

Edward broke the kiss as he pulled away from her, standing up. His hands went to her hips as he pulled her panties down her legs before climbing back over her again.

She looked up at Edward, and wrapped her arms around him as he climbed back over her, her hands running over his back as she kissed down the side of his neck.

Edward moved his hands back to her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples as she kissed down her neck. He lowered himself onto her, his thick shaft rubbing up against her.

Kristen moaned softly as Edward pinched her nipples, and her hands went to the waist of Edward's pants, tugging them down over his hips, before going for his underwear, pulling them down out of the way, before stroking at his massive cock again. She still couldn't help marveling at the size of it … Though, given his height, perhaps it shouldn't have surprised her that much. But it was still a little intimidating.

Edward broke the kiss as he pulled away from her, standing up. His hands went to her hips as he pulled her panties down her legs before climbing back over her again, a look of pure lust in Kristen's eyes as she looked up at Edward, and wrapped her arms around him when he climbed back over her, her hands running over his back as she kissed down the side of his neck.

Edward moved his hands back to her breasts, lightly pinching her nipples as he kissed down her neck. He lowered himself onto her, his thick shaft rubbing up against her making her moan softly as Edward pinched her nipples, and her hands went to the waist of Edward's pants, tugging them down over his hips, before going for his underwear, pulling them down out of the way, before stroking at his massive cock again. Edward moaned as she took his cock in her hand. It didn't matter to him that she couldn't fit it all the way around, it still felt amazing. "That feels good." Edward whispered.

Kristen smirked up at him as she continued to stroke his cock, her thumb brushing lightly over the tip. "That's the idea… Though I think I can do a little better than this." She pushed gently at his chest with her free hand. "Can you lay down on your back? I want to try something."

Edward looked at her confused as she pushed him back. "Um …. Sure." He said moving on the bed next to her until he was laying on his back, his head resting on the pillow.

Kristen moved down over Edward's hips, smiling slightly at the look of confusion on his face. It was kind of adorable, really. She then took his shaft gently in her hand and leaned down, taking the tip of his cock into her mouth, her tongue running over it lightly as she sucked. She glanced up at his face, watching for his reaction.

Edward took a quick intake of breath in surprise as her lips wrapped around his thick shaft. He'd never had a woman try that on him before. His ex's always thought he was either too big, or they didn't care enough to want to. It had always been about them, not him. "What are you …" He paused not sure what to say. "You don't have to-" but God did he want her to continue.

Kristen paused, confused. She'd never been with a man who didn't like getting head. If anything, her ex's had tended to be overly demanding about it, even if they could never be bothered to give oral themselves. It hadn't really occurred to her that Ed might not like it … but why else would he react so hesitantly?

"Is this okay?" she asked, looking back at him. "I guess I should have asked first…"

"No it's … It's great. But … You don't … I don't …." He licked his lips as he tried to make sense of his thoughts. "I don't expect you to …. To do that. If that's why-"

'Oh my God Ed … Stop talking. Go with it!' Edward ignored the voice that filtered into his head, ignored the hallucination that was whispering in his ear. 'She wants to suck your cock, let her!'

"Mhmm …" Edward moaned in agreement, though it could have passed off as a moan.

Kristen looked back at Edward in surprise for a moment, touched that he was just concerned on her behalf. Certainly none of her ex's would have bothered with that … but he clearly enjoyed what she'd been doing.

"I want to," she said quietly, before taking the tip back into her mouth, before slowly beginning to take in more, her tongue caressing the underside of his cock as she sucked.

Edward moaned, surprised she was able to even fit him in her mouth. "That feels so good." Edward said feeling a bit like a broken record but it was true. She was so good at making him feel amazing.

Kristen continued to move her mouth up and down Edward's cock, gradually taking more of him in as she sucked, her hand moving over the lower part of the shaft. She didn't expect to be able to fit him all in, certainly not this time, but she was confident that she'd be able to take enough of him in to make him glad she'd tried … Already, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying what she was doing.

Edward looked down at her, watching her suck on the tip, taking the first few inches in. He doubted she'd ever be able to take much in her mouth, but the fact that she was even trying … It was such a turn on.

Kristen took more and more of Edward's shaft into her mouth, until she felt it hitting the back of her throat, her tongue running over his cock as she did. She didn't think she could take him in much further, but Edward didn't seem to mind.

Edward moved his hands down to her head, his fingers brushing her bangs out of her face as he felt the tip hit the back of her throat. "Keep this up Miss. Kringle …" He panted. "And I'm not going to last very long."

Kristen looked up at him, her glasses slightly askew, her mouth still around his cock, blushing slightly, happy with his reaction. She very slowly moved her mouth back up his shaft, still sucking as she went back to the tip, finally withdrawing from his cock with a soft popping sound. "Do you want me to stop, then?" she asked playfully.

He looked down at her a moment. "No." He said quietly. "Please don't …"

Kristen nodded, before immediately going down on him again, her tongue continually caressing the underside of his shaft as she worked her way further down more quickly than she had the first time, though still careful not to take too much in at once, her mouth moving steadily up and down his thick shaft. Of course, she realized this probably meant her needs would go unmet tonight, but she wanted so badly to meet his, to do something nice for him, and she enjoyed hearing his reactions so much, and he was just being so much more considerate about it than she was used to … That she found she didn't really mind.

Edward moaned as he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her mouth moving up and down his shaft. He could feel his orgasm building, his legs moving slightly as she sat between them giving her better access to him. "I'm so close …." Edward whispered.

Kristen picked up the pace, moving up and down his cock faster, her tongue still working over his shaft as she sucked. Ed's shaft was so wide that her jaw started to ache slightly, but she didn't slow down. She loved seeing the look of pleasure on his face when she glanced up, hearing the need in his voice… She just really enjoyed making him feel good.

"I'm going to cum." Edward moaned as he let go of her hair, giving her the chance to back away.

Kristen nodded slightly, indicating that she'd heard him. She appreciated the warning, especially after too many times where she'd gotten no warning at all … But she continued sucking, not pausing as her mouth moved up and down his cock.

Edward was surprised when she didn't pull away. Perhaps she didn't hear him. "Kristen I-" but he couldn't hold it any longer as he felt himself tense with pleasure, cum shooting into her mouth as he came with a loud groan.

Kristen still remained where she was, waiting it out as cum spilled into her mouth. She'd never been overly fond of the taste, but she'd gotten used to it, learning to see it as confirmation of a job well done. And she loved hearing Ed groan, feeling him tense against her, knowing he enjoyed what she was doing … That made it all worth it.

Edward relaxed against the bed trying to calm his breathing, his hand moving back to her head before he carefully pulled the ponytail loose.

As Edward calmed under her, Kristen carefully withdrew from his cock, looking down as she swallowed so that he couldn't see the face she made. Ed might not be the demanding type, but she knew it was still possible that he'd feel insulted if she didn't. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, before looking back at him, smiling slightly at how relaxed he looked.

Edward reached down to her, silently asking her to come back up to him as he finally calmed down, his body entirely relaxed. "That was amazing."

"I'm glad," she smiled softly as she went over to lay by Edward's side, cuddling up against him and laying a hand against his chest. She was starting to feel a little frustrated herself, but that was okay. She'd been the one who had wanted to do it this way. And right now, if Ed would just hold her for a little while, she could be content with that.

Edward turned to lay on his side next to her, his finger running down her cheek before he leaned in and kissed her gently.

He pulled back a moment to look at her before he gently pushed her onto her back, his lips coming down onto hers again as he climbed on top of her, straddling her hips.

Kristen lay there in surprise for a moment as Edward kissed her, surprised that he wanted to after she'd just gone down on him. And then he was on top of her … Why? He'd already gotten off, so why was he … She decided to stop questioning it, and started kissing him back, wrapping her arms around him.

Edward broke the kiss, but his lips didn't stay off of her for long. He moved to her neck, sucking on the soft flesh, nipping it between his teeth before sucking on it again. He knew it would leave a mark and he smirked slightly as he ran his hands down her sides. He shifted slightly, moving her legs so that he was in between them and lowered himself back down onto her, his mouth coming to her breast to suck on her pert nipple.

Kristen moaned as Edward toyed with her nipple, her hands running through the back of Edward's hair.

Edward didn't look up at her as he kissed his way down her stomach, his eyes closed as he moved down past her belly button. He moved his hand to her pussy, his fingers moving over her clit as he kissed further down.

"Oh," Kristen gasped when she realized what he was doing. That surprised her. Guys she'd dated in the past didn't usually tend to bother with that once they'd gotten what they wanted. "Y-you don't have to …" she murmured. But God, his fingers felt amazing on her, and her hips moved forward a little instinctively, so that her clit rubbed against his fingers.

"Are you imitating me, Miss. Kringle?" He asked pressing a single finger into her gently up to the second knuckle. "I have to say … I'm not a fan of copy cats." He said before delving his tongue down onto her clit, licking the soft nub.

Kristen squirmed slightly as Ed's finger pushed inside her, encouraging him to press a little further in, a soft, surprised moan escaping her when he licked her clit. How long had it been since anyone had done this for her? "Sorry," she stammered. "It's just …" Already, she was struggling to keep a coherent sentence together. "Earlier, I was trying to do something for you, and … I … You don't have to feel obligated just because …" She trailed off, losing track of where that sentence had been going.

"I don't feel obligated." He said sounding a bit offended she thought that was why he was doing this. "If you want me to stop …"

Kristen shook her head. "No," she said quietly, hoping she hadn't upset him. "I don't want you to stop."

Edward moved his mouth back onto her, pressing his finger deeper into her before pushing a second finger into her, moving them inside of her as he moved his tongue around her clit in a circular motion.

Kristen moaned as Edward pushed a second finger inside her, her hips moving slightly forward as she felt Edward's tongue move over her clit. Ed really knew what he was doing.

Edward kept moving his tongue over her, adding a third finger and curling his fingers inside of her.

Kristen reached down and ran a hand through Edward's hair, moaning and clutching the sheets with her free hand as Edward's fingers curled inside her.

Edward felt his cock starting to harden once again as Kristen moaned, her hand threading through his hair. He moved his fingers faster trying to bring her to orgasm.

Kristen moved against Edward in time to the motion of his fingers, her eyes closing as she moaned with pleasure.

Edward looked up at her as he continued to pleasure her, keeping the same motion she seemed to like. It surprised him how easy it was to please her.

The sensation grew more and more intense as Edward's fingers moved inside her, and her breathing quickened as she moved against him, trembling slightly. "God, Ed," she whispered, her fingers running lightly through Edward's hair. She bit her lip as another moan escaped her, trying to keep some degree of control over herself.

Edward moved his mouth off of her, using his thumb against her clit as he moved up over her to kiss her. He kept moving his fingers inside of her. He loved how he could make her react like this …

Kristen moaned as Edward's thumb rubbed against her clit, while his fingers still moved inside her. He was far more adept at this than she would have imagined … She embraced him as he moved over her, running her hands over his back, moaning softly into the kiss, her hips moving rhythmically against him.

Edward moaned into the kiss as his cock hardened. He broke the kiss a moment, looking down at her. He was still learning what she liked, did she like dirty talking? His cheeks tinted red at that thought as he pushed harder into her. "Cum for me Kristen." He whispered, his face turning a deeper shade of red.

Kristen blushed slightly, looking up at him in surprise, gasping as his fingers pushed harder inside her. She hadn't really expected an attempt at dirty talking from him … He seemed a little bashful about it, but that was somehow just all the more endearing. She nodded, pushing back against him. At the rate he was going, his demand seemed very doable. "Just don't stop," she murmured breathlessly.

Edward nodded, he hadn't planned on stopping. That would just be mean. And to be honest, after having it done to him so many times he was in no hurry to do it to someone else. He kept moving at the pace he seemed to get the most reaction out of her, in the back of his mind wondering if and how he could do better, but she seemed to be enjoying it.

Kristen kissed him again, moaning, her fingers running through the back of his hair, loving what he was doing to her. She was close now, the sensation of Edward's fingers inside her and on her clit growing more and more intense as he continued.

Edward moved his fingers faster, breaking the kiss as he looked down at his hand, focusing on what he was doing.

Kristen continued to move her hips forward faster to keep up with the pace of Edward's fingers as they moved in and out of her. She kissed down the side of his neck, the sensation of his fingers on her now an almost unbearably intense pleasure.

He tilted his head as she kissed his neck, rubbing himself up against her leg awkwardly as his cock begged for attention. He moaned as she reached his collarbone and moved his hips against her.

Kristen felt Edward's cock rubbing against her leg, surprised that it was hard again so soon. She moaned as she reached a hand down to stroke it for him, imagining it inside her, even though it had kind of hurt last time; it was just so much bigger than she was used to … "Ed…" she murmured, kissing at his collarbone feverishly. She gasped, a moan escaping her as her back arched, her inner walls clenched around Edward's talented fingers, and her whole body tensed, waves of pleasure running through her.

Edward pulled up, looking down at her as she came, his fingers still moving inside of her riding out her orgasm. Once she relaxed he kissed her gently, pulling his hand away from her and wiped his hand on the blanket before kissing her again and moving off of her to lay beside her.

Kristen looked over at Ed, still breathing hard, surprised when he pulled off of her. She kissed him on the cheek, looking down at his partially erect cock. "Don't you want me to take care of that for you?" Sure she'd gotten him off once, but after he'd just made her feel so amazing, it was the least she could do.

"It's fine. It'll go away." He said leaning forward to kiss her again before moving his thumb over her cheek.

Kristen leaned into Edward's kiss, still surprised by how … how undemanding he was. It was extraordinarily endearing. She'd never met anyone so sweet. She cuddled up close to Edward, putting an arm around him, running a hand lightly down his back, enjoying just the feeling of closeness with him.

"Can I …" Ed paused. "Can I ask you something?" He asked.

Kristen looked back at him for a moment, then nodded. "Of course," she said. Though she wondered what else he'd feel self conscious about saying to her after everything else he'd told her.

"Well …. It's something I've been curious about. Your opinion I mean … But …. Do you …." Why did she always manage to turn his brain into mush? "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Kristen stared for a moment, unsure what to say. "I … I don't know," she said quietly, choosing not to dwell right now on why Edward might be asking her this. She thought about it for a moment. Of course she'd grown up believing in love at first sight, the way it happened in fairy tales, but … in her experience it didn't work that way. It had gotten hard to keep believing in love at all. But she guessed she couldn't rule out that maybe some people really fell in love that way. "I guess … maybe love at first sight is possible. But even when it happens, I don't think you can know at first sight whether it's really love or not … I think you have to get to know a person at their best and worst to be sure."

Edward nodded. "That makes sense. I believe in it … Well I didn't before … But …" Edward paused awkwardly, looking down at the sheets that he'd pulled over top of them. "But when I saw you … When you first got hired there …. I knew. It didn't matter that I didn't know you, I felt a sudden connection with you. It was like … something was just compelling me towards you and I didn't know how to express how I felt. And then the more we talked, no matter how brief our conversations were, the more I knew. You say you have to know someone at their worst to know if you love them, but I don't see anything changing how I feel."

"Edward …" Kristen said, touched but taken aback. She wasn't even completely sure how she felt about Edward, except that so far she was happy with him, and he was unlike anyone she'd been with before. She smoothed back Edward's hair. "I … had no idea." No wonder he had been so awkward around her for so long … And she'd misread those signs pretty drastically. "You mean a lot to me, and I'd given up thinking anyone would make me this happy, but … I don't think either of us has really seen each other at their worst."

"That's okay. You'd never scare me off. And I don't expect you to say it back, in fact … If you did I probably wouldn't believe you. I'd feel like you'd be saying it because you feel obligated … But I couldn't be more sure now that I've gotten to know you, at least a little bit …." He paused and brushed her bangs out of her face. "You deserve to be loved Kristen … I want to give you everything you deserve to have … And more. And you deserve to feel safe …. I'd do anything in my power to keep you safe … Even if that meant having to do something …." Ed paused his finger moving down her face. "I'm sorry … I'm … I'm rambling now …."

Kristen was speechless for a moment, tears inexplicably pricking at her eyes. "Ed," she whispered, touching a hand to his cheek. No one had ever spoken to her like that, not with this level of sincerity, anyway. She couldn't doubt the honesty in his voice, though a more cautious part of her mind, the part that had been hurt so many times before, wanted to. Admittedly, coming from anyone else, Edward's words would have sounded melodramatic, but from him… "I … I believe that you mean that. That you really feel that way, and I feel safer with you than I've ever felt before, and … and I want things to work out like that, but … How much time have we really spent together? How can you be so sure?"

And what would happen if things didn't work out? If she wasn't all Edward wanted her to be? How could she live up to his grand romantic expectations? And given what she knew now about Ed's painful history with relationships, and his mental health … what would it do to him if things fell apart?

"I wouldn't have gotten into a relationship with you if I wasn't sure. Believe me …. I am sure." He said leaning forward to kiss her.

Kristen leaned into his kiss and wrapped her arms around him, as if just holding him to her tight enough would make everything turn out alright. As if love could ever be that easy. As if she wasn't going to inevitably mess things up again. As if she could ever really deserve someone as sweet as Ed. But she really, truly hoped that just this once, things could work out. That this time she could finally manage to get it right.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Excuse me … Have you seen-" A man in his mid-forties walked through the streets, a picture in his hand as people passed him by, ignoring him.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for my nephew have you-" he paused again as the man he was trying to show the image to shouldered past him. He sighed as he leant against the nearby brick wall. He lit a cigarette as he looked around the street. He thought Idaho was bad, the people here were just down right nasty.

Kristen walked by down the sidewalk, bags of groceries in her arms. She was in something of a hurry, since the clouds above hung heavy over Gotham, looking as if they were ready to let loose a torrent of heavy showers at any minute. She glanced over at the man leaning against the brick wall, wondering why he was just hanging around, with no apparent urgency to move toward any particular destination, but she didn't ask him about it. She wasn't in the habit of starting up conversations with strangers in the middle of downtown Gotham streets.

"Excuse me Miss …. I'm looking for my nephew." He said holding out the picture as she walked past him. "Miss please …. I heard he's here in Gotham. I have urgent information regarding …. Regarding his mother … She's ill. I have to find him if you'll only give me a moment. Perhaps you've seen him." After four weeks of this he was starting to become annoyed. But there was no way he was giving up.

Kristen stopped, looking back at the tired, worn-out looking man. He'd probably been on his feet all day asking about this nephew of his. Gotham was a big city. The poor guy's chances of finding anyone this way here were… She looked at the picture, and her eyes widened. It was Edward. He was a good deal younger, somewhere in his mid-teens, but it was definitely him.

"That…" she said quietly, cautiously. "That's your nephew?"

Edward had specifically run away from his family. Or from his father, anyway. If he'd been on good terms with his extended family when he fled, wouldn't he have gone to them? But he hadn't said anything bad about his mother, and this guy was probably from the mom's side…

"Yes. His name is Eddie. He went missing some time ago. We've all been so worried about him." Oh, the girl sure knew something … He saw a flash of recognition on her face. "I heard rumours that he was in Gotham … Please, if you know anything …"

Kristen looked down at the photograph uncertainly, adjusting her glasses. She didn't know if Ed would be too thrilled to reconnect with any of his family… But if his mother really was sick, wouldn't he want to know? Was it up to her to make that decision? If he didn't want to see her, he could always just send his uncle away… and it wasn't as if the uncle would be able to tell that Eddie had crafted a new identity and fake credentials; it wasn't as if there was any way for him to know.

"How sick is his mother?" she asked quietly.

"Very." He said. "We don't know how much longer she'll last. She wants to see him again … We've been looking for him everywhere. Do you know him?"

"Yes," Kristen said, making up her mind. "I know him. He… won't be expecting you, but if she's that sick, he should know about it."

"Oh thank god. You have no idea how long I've been looking. She'll be so relieved I've found him." He said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Kristen glanced over at him uncomfortably, not sure how she felt about this stranger putting his hand on her shoulder, even if he was Edward's uncle, but she ignored it as she led the way back to the apartment.

Edward placed two plates on the table as he waited for the water on the stove to boil. As he'd promised he was making pasta for supper. As much as he wished he had the time to make the noodles from scratch, pre-packaged would have to do for tonight.

He pulled the box of pasta out of the cupboard as he heard footsteps in the hall. Kristen must be here.

"It's open!" He said as he heard the footsteps stop at the door.

Kristen felt like she should say something before just letting the man walk in … She still wasn't entirely sure Edward wanted to see him, after all. He might even be angry with her for bringing him here. "Edward," she called out, opening the door just slightly, not enough for Edward's uncle to push by around her, but just enough for her to peer in and maybe gauge Ed's reaction. "There's… There's a man here who says he's your uncle? He says he has urgent news about your mom…"

"My unc-" Ed paused confused. "I don't have an uncle." He said confused as he turned towards her. But the slight open in the door was enough for the man to push his way in.

"What? You don't remember your dear old Uncle." He said laughing. Edward froze, the blood draining from his face as the man stood there.

Kristen turned angrily to face the stranger. She couldn't believe she'd been so stupid. "I think you should leave," she said sternly.

The man ignored her as he stared at Edward. "Oh, so I see your intelligence hasn't improved any …. Close your mouth boy you look like a fish." He said slamming the door shut and locking it so that neither of them could leave.

Ed ignored the man a moment as he looked to Kristen who was now inside the apartment on the floor. "Are you okay?"

Kristen nodded, standing up again quickly. "I'm fine," she said, though she was more than a little frightened when the stranger locked the door. And the things he'd just said to Edward… He might not be Edward's uncle, but he definitely knew him. She glared back at the man, and repeated more loudly: "I said I think you should leave! Edward doesn't want you here, so get out and leave him the hell alone!"

"Oh, I don't think so. You see I spent a looooong time in jail because of you Eddie … Ten years is a long time to sit and think. At least, for those of us who have the capability of doing so." The man said slowly advancing on Edward.

"Stay away from me," Edward said though he pulled Kristen behind him.

"Relax son, I'm not going to hurt your girl. If she wants to leave she can, I have nothing against her. You on the other hand …." He said cracking his knuckles.

"I'm not going anywhere," Kristen snapped, trying to pull away from behind Edward. As sweet as it was for him to try to protect her, Edward didn't strike her as much of a fighter. If anyone needed protecting right now, it was him. "Just leave him alone!"

"God, you really haven't changed that much have you son? Still getting the girls to fight your battles for you huh?"

"I'm no son of yours." Edward said angrily. "Get out of my apartment."

"Oh I don't think so." The man said, and before Edward could block it the man punched him in the face so hard it knocked him back into the counter.

"Stop it!" Kristen shrieked, stepping between the two of them and pushing Ed's attacker back. "You've made your point, now take your stupid testosterone rage and get out of here, before you do something that gets you put back in prison again!"

The man easily pushed Kristen aside, knocking her to the ground again before advancing on Edward. He punched Edward in the face, again and again, holding him by the front of his shirt to keep him up. Edward grasped at the counter, trying to reach up for anything that could help him. His head swam as he was hit so hard his head knocked into the counter but he managed to get a hold of something.

The pot of water he'd put on to boil. There was no way it would be boiled yet, but it might be hot, and if not at least he could try to use it as a weapon.

Edward pulled the pot down hitting his father in the face with the hot water, some of it splashing onto his leg making him hiss in pain. It wasn't boiled yet but it was hot ….

His father howled in pain but it barely slowed him as he hit Edward again, ripping the pot from his hand and throwing it across the kitchen.

Kristen staggered to her feet, terrified as the man just flung the pot across the room and kept hitting Edward … If he carried on like this, he'd put Edward in the hospital at the very least, and she was afraid he wouldn't stop there. She couldn't let him, it was her fault he was here, she had to do something… She grabbed a kitchen knife from where it had been sitting next to the cutting board and, not thinking beyond her fear for Edward's life, she stabbed the knife into his attacker's back. The blade sunk in all the way to the handle, right between the man's ribs.

Edwards father cried out in pain as he staggered away from Ed, turning to Kristen, fury clear on his face. "You stupid bitch …" He hissed as he advanced on her. The wound was fatal, but it wasn't so severe that he'd die quickly.

Edward pulled himself up with the counter, blood running from his nose and busted lip. He nearly fell to the floor as he watched his father walk towards Kristen.

Kristen backed away. The knife was still in his back, out of her reach, leaving her defenseless. She hadn't thought about what to do if she stabbed him and he kept walking … As she backed away, she glanced around frantically for something else to fight him off, but there was nothing in her reach. Her back hit a wall. There was no way past him.

Edward pushed himself off the counter, his head swimming so badly he could barely see as he grabbed onto the knife.

'Come on Ed.' That hallucination was back. As if the situation wasn't bad enough. 'Think of all the times he hurt you … Everything he's done to you. And he's no more than a brute … You're so above him he can't even see that!' Edward pulled the knife from his back causing the man to howl in pain. 'Let go Ed.' Edward stared at the knife for only a second before he plunged it into his back once more. Again and again, just as his father had hit him so many times before. Without mercy.

Kristen stared, shaking and stunned, as Edward drove the knife into the man's back, over and over again, after he collapsed, after he stopped moving, blood coating Edward's hands, flecks of blood splashing up onto his shirt, his glasses…

"Edward?" Kristen stammered, in barely more than a whisper. "You… you can stop now."

Edward couldn't hear her over his own sobbing as tears started running down his face, though he'd pulled the knife from his father's back and stared at it, his hands shaking as he fell back to sit on the floor, the knife falling to the floor with a loud clatter. He stared at his shaking hands, the blood warm on his skin. This was so much different than what happened with officer Daugherty. This was a total loss of control.

Kristen was motionless for a moment, staring down at the dead man in their kitchen, before slowly moving away from the wall, around the fallen attacker, and over to Edward, kneeling behind him and tentatively wrapping her arms around him.

Edward wasn't even sure why he was crying anymore, but it was as if years of emotional distress came flooding out in that moment. He was dimly aware of Kristen wrapping her arms around him, dimly aware of the pain he was in. He tried to calm his breathing as the room swam more than it had before, his vision blurry and spotted with red. He didn't know how long it was before he calmed down, by this point practically laying in Kristen's arms, uncaring that he was practically laying in a pool of blood.

Kristen just kept holding him, supporting most of his weight that wasn't already on the floor now, trembling with shock and lingering fear. "It's going to be okay," she kept whispering, not knowing what else to say. But it wasn't. Nothing about this was okay. They'd just killed a man, right here in Ed's apartment, right on the kitchen floor. They'd just killed a man and it was her fault. "I'm sorry," she whispered, before her eyes welled up with delayed tears and she was sobbing too. "God, Ed, I'm so so sorry…"

Edward sat up, leaning against the footboard as he stared at the body on the floor. What a mess. "It's not your fault …" He said. He wanted to comfort her but he needed to wash the blood from his hands. He looked down at himself, his clothing and hands were covered in splatters of blood, his hands practically coated. "It's not your fault." He said again as he forced himself to stand up, staggering a moment as he went over to the sink to wash the blood off his hands.

Kristen shook her head, staring down at the body, the tears still falling relentlessly. "I led him here… I can't believe I fell for… God, I'm so stupid." Her breathing was still fast and shallow. She looked up at Edward. "Who… Was he your…?" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"As far as I'm concerned, no, he's not." He said finishing washing the majority of the blood off his hands. He helped her off the floor, grateful that she hadn't been sitting in the pool of blood that was slowly expanding over the floor. "Come downstairs." He said wrapping his arm around her and leading her towards the trap door.

Kristen nodded, standing up shakily and going with him, her mind still racing, trying to process what had just happened. "But… wait…" She looked up at Edward. "Shouldn't we call the police? It was a clear self-defense case. He was attacking you, I was sure he would have killed you ... " Her voice choked up with the threat of further sobbing, but she held it back. "We're clearly in the right here. Isn't that what we should do?"

"Do you really think they'd see this as self defence?" He asked. "We both stabbed him in the back. More times than was necessary …. There's no evidence of forced entry and no marks on you. That's not self defence, that's over kill …. With our corrupt system do you really think they'd let us go? I don't exactly have friends in the GCPD … In fact I'm sure they'd try to get rid of me. They might let you go because I'd testify for you … I'd say I did it all but really …. I'd spend the rest of life in Black Gate over a man who tried to kill me. Do you have any idea what they would do to me in there?"

Kristen went deathly pale. She knew without a doubt that Edward wouldn't do well in prison, especially in Gotham. "You're right," she said, accepting the horrible facts of how this looked. There was no way around that. "So what do we do, then?"

Edward sighed and ran his hand over his mouth. "You have blood on your clothes. Take your bag, go downstairs and change." He said picking up her bag that was by the bed and handing it to her.

Kristen took the bag, her hands still trembling, and she looked up at him with wide eyes, understanding. "You're going to try to get rid of the body," she said, in a quiet, not-quite-even voice. It made sense, in a cold, purely practical kind of way. Ed worked in forensics. He knew exactly what they looked for, what evidence to remove or destroy. "Aren't you."

"Do you have a better idea?" Edward asked. "Because I don't …" He looked down at her. "It'll be fine. I'll handle this, just go clean yourself up."

Kristen bit her lip, uncomfortable with the idea as she thought it over. She shook her head, her back straightening as she looked back at him. "No," she said, her voice suddenly more steady with stubborn resignation. "You shouldn't have to handle this alone. I helped make this mess. Let me help clean it up." It was her fault Edward's father had shown up here in the first place. It wasn't right for her to go cower uselessly in the basement while Ed did all the dirty work.

"Kristen, really. The best thing you can do right now is go and change. If you want to come up and help me that's fine," He hated so much to lie to her. "But I need you to do this first."

"Okay," Kristen sighed. She could handle this if she just focused on one step at a time. She headed down the stairs.

Edward waited until she was at the bottom of the stairs before he muttered an apology. He closed the trapdoor and slid the barrel bolt lock into place.

Kristen heard the lock click in the doorway, and spun around on her heel, looking up at the trapdoor. "Edward?" Did he really just… She ran up the stairs and pushed at the unmoving trapdoor. Yes. Yes, he really had just locked her down here. She pounded at the door. "Edward!" she yelled, angry and a little scared. "Unlock this door! If you don't want me up there right now, that's fine, but just… Just unlock the door!"

Edward ignored her as he moved to a drawer to pull out his hatchet. It was crude but it would have to do. As much as he hated locking the door on Kristen, he knew she would try to come up if he unlocked it. And seeing a dead body was one thing … Seeing one being chopped up was entirely another.

Kristen pounded on the door harder. "Edward!" she shouted. "Ed, I'm serious! Unlock the damn door!"

It seriously creeped her out that Edward hadn't even said anything in response.

"I'm sorry. I'll let you out when I'm done Kristen." He said as he went to work on his father's body. He had to say out of all the scenarios he had in his head for getting revenge on his father, this wasn't one that had played out. It was rather …. Disappointing in a way. "Go get changed. And stop yelling unless you'd like to alert the neighbors, thinking I kidnapped you."

"What else do you call locking someone in a basement?" Kristen muttered under her breath. She stared up at the door in helpless fury. She'd never thought Edward would make her feel this way. But there was nothing else to say. She turned around and stalked back down the stairs, trying to calm herself down. She was angry, and that wasn't about to change, but there was objectively no reason to be scared, just because the door was locked… Was there? No. She wasn't going to start thinking like that.

She went ahead and changed clothes… Since she needed to do that anyway. Then she noticed for the first time that there was a phone sitting on the table by the sofa. She stared at it for a moment, then shook her head. No. That wasn't necessary. There was no one she could call without getting Ed arrested for murder, and there was no need to. She was perfectly safe here. Probably. She sighed and went over to the video game shelves, and set about finding a nice, violent game to take her anger out on.

It was a couple of hours before Ed finished cleaning everything up. He put a pot on to boil and put the noodles in, putting a pot of pre made sauce on the stove before moving the large travel case to the side of the room and putting away the cleaning products and opening up a few more windows. It smelled heavily like cleaning products, and while it wasn't dangerous it bothered his nose. Once the noodles were done he washed his hands, changed his clothes and prepared the food on a plate.

He had no doubt that Miss. Kringle would be angry with him. And it was nearing midnight. He had no doubt she was starving as much as he was.

He put the plate on the floor and unlatched the door. He propped it open before walking downstairs with both plates in hand.

Kristen stubbornly didn't look up from the screen as her character delivered a critical hit, knocking out the other fighter. "It might have gone a little faster if you'd had some assistance," she said flatly. "But if you insisted on doing it alone, you could have at least let me go home."

"I'm sorry." He said placing the plate on the table in front of her as he sat down. "I didn't want you to see that. A dead body is one thing but …" He didn't elaborate on what he did. She didn't need to know the details. "I-" he paused and stared at his plate. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I didn't even think of that …" He said. Even now he could feel his thoughts being jumbled. He had no doubts he had a concussion but he was long since used to working through them.

"You didn't think of that," Kristen repeated, her voice shaking slightly, staring down at the controller in her tight grip, still refusing to look at him. "You didn't think to listen to me and let me out. You didn't think to let me decide for myself what I could handle, or whether I was comfortable with being kept down here while you got to actually do something. You didn't think about whether maybe, since I'm the one who caused this problem in the first place, I might want you to at least trust me to help fix it."

She threw down the controller and stood up. "And you didn't think that maybe I just personally hate being locked in rooms with no way out."

Edward flinched as she stood up and got off the couch himself backing away from her a bit. "Yes, I didn't think of that, considering I just killed my father who previously smashed my head into a counter! I don't care if you are able to handle it! I don't want you handling something like that! You said it yourself …. You don't understand how I can work around dead people all day … I am used to it. You are not! That is not a sight that needs to stick with you for the rest of your life!" He said. "I'm sorry for locking you down here but if I had told you to go home, if I had thought of that, would you have?!" He asked, his head starting to swim again.

"That's not the point!" Kristen yelled. "You didn't give me the option! I was already involved! And you just… just decided what was best for me! And …" She took a deep breath. "Yes, actually. Once you locked that door on me, I wanted nothing better than to go home."

She moved to walk past him, fully prepared to leave, when she got a good look at the cuts and bruises on Edward's face, that he apparently hadn't bothered to tend to. There was a nasty gash on his forehead that looked like it was going to need stitches.

Kristen sighed. "You're injured," she said, her voice still more irritated than anything else. "You should sit down."

Edward saw that she had every intention of leaving when she noticed the fresh blood that was no doubt running down his face again. He did what he did to protect her, he knew she wouldn't have left …. She would have insisted on staying to help him. "No …" Edward said simply. "Don't bother wasting your energy, I'm sure you'd rather be home right now as you've made rather obvious." He said sounding just as annoyed as she did.

Kristen winced at his words, and crossed her arms. "You know damn well I've wanted to help this whole time! I didn't want to leave until you locked me down here and reminded me of …" The words caught in her throat, and she changed the subject. The last man she'd trusted with those memories had used them against her. And she didn't want to break down thinking about that in front of Ed, when he was still dealing with his own traumatic encounter with the past. "Look," she said, upset, forcing firmness into her voice. "Will you please just sit down and tell me where your first aid kit is?"

"I don't have a first aid kit." Edward said holding onto the bookshelf beside him. "Besides I'm going to need stitches, and I'm pretty sure my nose is broken. Just go home, I'll handle this."

Kristen regarded Edward for a moment, pushing back her anger and doubts for now. Really, that a careful guy like Ed didn't have a first aid kit … She would have to remedy that later. But he was right about one thing; he needed more medical attention than she could give him. "You'll handle this how?" she demanded. "Do you think you're going to set your broken nose? Give yourself stitches on your face? While you're barely steady enough to stand?" She shook her head. "Look, how well-hidden is the body? If I call Lee over to come take a look at you, is there anything lying around for her to notice?"

"Not unless she goes snooping around in my suitcases." He said holding his hand up to his head as the room began to spin. He really should sit down. He felt like he was going to be sick. "But it's after midnight …. Almost one in the morning. Don't call her." He said taking two steps towards the couch before he hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Edward!" Kristen cried out in alarm, running over and kneeling beside him, putting her hands on his shoulders, trying to help him sit up. "Ed, I need you to try to stay conscious right now, okay?"

Her voice sounded muffled as his vision blurred. He could barely understand what she was saying before he passed out.

Kristen ran to the phone and dialed Lee's number, praying that she would pick up. She didn't think Ed would forgive her if she ended up having to call an ambulance and have a bunch of strangers trek through here right after they'd murdered someone …

"Hi, Lee?" Kristen said, her voice shaking. "I'm so sorry to bother you in the middle of the night like this, but … but Edward was mugged on the way home," she lied. "He made it back to the apartment, but he's in really bad shape and now he's unconscious, and…"

Lee sat up in bed as Jim turned to look at her, confusion in his face. "Woe, Kristen … Slow down. Calm down … What's going on?" She asked unable to understand her, she was talking too fast.

"He's… He's…" Kristen took a deep breath, trying to calm herself enough to slow down and speak clearly. Her hands were shaking so badly that she was afraid she would drop the phone. "It's Ed," she said. "He's been mugged. He's hurt really bad, and he just passed out."

"Did you call an ambulance?" Lee asked turning to sit on the side of the bed as Jim sat up.

"I… I did," Kristen lied, thinking on her feet, but hating that she had to deceive Lee like this. "But he refused it. Then, after they left, he passed out. Please, Lee, I… I didn't know who else to call."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be right there." She said hanging up the phone.

"Thank you." Kristen hung up the phone shakily, before dragging him by the shoulders to get him onto the couch, before rushing upstairs and then returning to clean his cuts, waiting anxiously for Lee to arrive.

Lee knocked on the door nearly twenty minutes later, waiting for Kristen to open the door. Once it was open she looked at Kristen who seemed rather shaken up. "Has he woken up?" She asked as she stepped into the apartment, Jim stepping in after her.

"Barely," said Kristen, as she opened the door for them, visibly relieved to see them there. "He's started to wake up, but … he's really out of it, and he's not at all coherent … He's this way, in the room below …" She showed them to the stairs. "Thank you so much for coming out here in the middle of the night like this … I wouldn't have known what to do if you hadn't …"

Lee and Jim followed Kristen downstairs, Lee moving over to Ed once she spotted him. "Ed?" She asked as Ed looked at her …. Or more accurately, through her.

"Edward," Kristen said, in the most calm voice she could muster, as she went over to him and took his hand. She looked him in the eyes, trying to get him to focus on her. "Lee's going to take a look at your injuries, okay?"

Lee went over to Ed, opening her bag and shining a light in his eyes, finding one pupil clearly more dilated than the other. "Definite signs of concussion…" she confirmed. "Though I can't say I'm surprised…"

From the cuts and bruises on his face, she thought it likely that he'd hit his head multiple times. Some of it had probably happened during the mugging, but if he'd passed out unexpectedly, there was a good chance that he'd banged his head pretty hard when he fell. He was going to need to be monitored after she left … And if he didn't show any signs of improvement by then, she was going to recommend taking him to a hospital.

"Kristen, could you go get some ice, please? We'll need to reduce the swelling."

Kristen nodded, and quickly headed up the stairs. Lee set about disinfecting the many cuts and scrapes on Edward's face and head, before preparing to stitch up the deep gash on his forehead. "Jim, I may need you to help keep him still …"

Kristen returned with a couple of ice packs, applying them where Lee said the swelling was worst. "He said he thought his nose was broken," she informed her.

Lee nodded. "It is," she confirmed. "Not bleeding too badly anymore, and not too far out of place; it won't be hard to set it … but you're going to get some ice on that afterward as well, or the swelling's going to be pretty bad."

Edward could hear them talking, more clearly this time at least. He felt more confused than anything as Lee talked to Kristen. He watched as Lee brought a needle out, bringing it towards his forehead to freeze the area.

"No …" He mumbled, lifting his hand to her arm. "Don't."

Lee paused, looking down at him. This was the most lucid he'd been since she arrived. "Ed," she explained gently. "You're going to need stitches or you won't heal properly. I'm trying to freeze the area so you won't feel it. Will you let me?"

"No …" He said not letting go of her arm. "Just do it … It … I don't need it." He said, even to him he sounded confused.

Lee frowned. "You… want me give you stitches without numbing you?" It seemed like a strange request; if he had an issue with needles, he wouldn't be too thrilled about the stitches either. Though he might be so out of it that he hadn't thought that far ahead. She glanced questioningly up at Kristen, but she didn't seem to know the reason for his objection either.

Ed pushed her arm farther away, mumbling another no as Jim came up behind him. "I'll hold him still." He said though as soon as Jim touched him Ed batted his hands away from him clumsily.

"Stop …"

"Edward," Kristen said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What is it? Why don't you want Lee to freeze the area?"

"Just do it!" Edward said starting to sound annoyed. The faster Lee finished the faster they'd leave and the faster he could go to sleep. He felt so tired all of a sudden. As if the adrenaline of the night had worn off just before he passed out.

"Alright," Lee said, but you'll need to keep still. Kristen kept her hand on Edward's shoulder as Lee started to carefully stitch up the cut.

Edward didn't even react as she pushed the needle through his skin. Not even a flinch. Jim looked at Ed and over to Lee. Did he pass out? Or did he just have an unexpectedly high pain tolerance? Which, if he did, brought up quite a few questions.

Lee looked surprised as well, but she didn't let that mar her concentration. After all the fuss Ed had made about the syringe, she'd expected him to keep fighting her. But the total lack of reaction, when he was still clearly conscious … She wondered if Kristen knew why he might have such a high pain tolerance. But that was a question for later. Lee could take a few guesses though. Ed was … an eccentric man to say the least.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that hard to imagine him being bullied when he was younger. Once she had finished expertly stitching up the wound, she looked down at him, and sighed. "Okay," she said, wondering how this would go. "I'm going to have to reset your broken nose. I'll need you to continue holding still." She glanced up at Jim and Kristen, indicating that she might need some assistance keeping him still this time, depending on how he reacted.

"It's not even that bad, just get it over with." Edward said. Even if he hadn't been concussed it was nearing one thirty in the morning, he was tired and wished they would all just leave him alone.

Lee nodded. She put her hands over Edward's nose and quickly, expertly, snapped the bone back into place. Kristen winced at the sound, but it was over in an instant.

Edward groaned as the bone was pushed back into place but barely responded beyond that. He felt Lee cleaning the wounds again as Jim sat down on the edge of the couch by his legs.

"Did you get a good look at the guys that did this?" Jim asked looking down at Ed. Edward looked up at him confused.

"Guys?" He asked.

"The guys that mugged you on your way home," Kristen said quickly, hoping Edward was alert enough to play along, and that his initial confusion would just be taken as a symptom of his head injuries.

"That mu- I was …" He paused. "Um …. No." He said lifting his hand to his head. "There weren't any guys … It was one guy …. Um … I didn't get a good look. He was almost as tall as me, white, some facial hair …" He said giving a very basic description of his father who really could be anyone.

"What was he wearing?" Jim asked.

"I don't know." Edward said, as much as he wished he was pretending, he really couldn't think straight. Come to think of it, did he hide that body as well as he thought he had? Did he get all the blood? Did he miss anything? He was starting to worry. He couldn't even remember getting rid of the body. Did he get rid of it? Did Jim see it?

Kristen managed to avoid looking visibly relieved when Edward started playing along. She'd been holding her breath, ready to jump in at any minute with some lame excuse about how disoriented he was and how they should probably come back and ask again later.

"I'm not surprised you have trouble remembering," Lee sighed, packing up her bag. "He clearly did a number on you. Must have hit your head several times … It's lucky that you got back here, and that Kristen called us when she did."

"Will he be okay for the night?" Jim asked, wondering if they should maybe stay.

Lee frowned. "He's made enough improvement that I don't think he'll need to go to a hospital … But someone should definitely stay with him."

"I'll stay," Kristen said quickly. Having Jim and Lee come by briefly was one thing; she trusted Ed had been thorough enough at least for that. But if they hung around? If they continued asking questions, especially with Edward in his current confused state? They couldn't afford to tempt fate that much.

Lee nodded. "Just make sure you wake him up every few hours, make sure he's okay.

"Take the day off tomorrow. I'll have Sampson cover for you, I'll make excuses." Jim said, patting Edward's knee.

Kristen nodded. "Thank you so much for coming over at this hour," she said sincerely. "Really, I can't thank you both enough."

"Don't think anything of it," said Lee reassuringly as she packed up her medical supplies. "Come on, we both have to work tomorrow, we should get a few more hours of sleep." She said to Jim who followed her upstairs.

Kristen thanked them again as she accompanied them to the door. Once they had left, and she had closed it behind them, she let out a long sigh, leaning heavily against the door, rubbing tiredly at her temples. Her head ached, and she felt weak and shaky again, physically and emotionally exhausted.

After a moment, she straightened and went back down to the game room, to keep an eye on Edward.

By the time she came back down Ed was sitting up on the couch, staring blankly at the table.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

Kristen shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it right now, Ed," she said tiredly. She looked back at him, so worn out that her anger didn't have much energy left. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Edward ignored her question. "I know you don't want to talk about it, but I really am sorry." He said. "If I had been able to defend myself …. None of this would have happened."

Kristen stared at him. "That's what you're sorry for?" She shook her head, and sat down next to him on the couch. "That's not your fault. And he wouldn't have even been here in the first place if I hadn't been so gullible … God, Edward, I led him right to you …" She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I … It's my fault you got hurt."

"No it's not your fault … It's mine … And if not mine then his. And it's not all I'm sorry for, but it's what started it all." He said resting his head back on the couch. His head felt like it was going to explode. "If he hadn't shown up I wouldn't have killed him, if I hadn't killed him I wouldn't have been stupid and locked you down here so you wouldn't have to see-" he paused once again not wanting her to know the details … Then again he couldn't remember the details himself, but he had a good idea. "I'm sorry. I'm stupid …"

"You're not stupid," Kristen said firmly, reaching over and taking his hand in hers. "Don't ever say that about yourself. And what happened wasn't your fault. Your … your father is the one who decided to come after you … That was his fault, not yours." She was quiet for a moment, hesitant, not wanting to fight with him right now, or worse, break down in front of him … But it still upset her too much to just let it go. "But … locking the door on me is a separate issue," she said quietly. She didn't let go of his hand, but her eyes became fixated on the floor. "By the way, your downstairs window is rusted over at the frame. You should probably get that fixed."

Edward looked at her confused. "My what?" He asked at the sudden turn of conversation.

Kristen pointed over at the window barely almost entirely hidden by the arcade games. "It's rusted over. It doesn't open."

Realization hit him. "You … Tried to go out the fire escape?" He asked. "Why would you do that? You know I would never hurt you!" He said sounding hurt, both by the fact that he clearly scared her enough to try the fire escape and because she would think he'd do something to harm her. He was only trying to protect her.

"I… I know," she said quietly. If she'd really thought he would hurt her, she would have just broken the window, or used the phone. But she hadn't. "But you locked me down here for five hours, Edward. Can you really blame me? I just… I have an issue with being locked in a room like that … It … it bothers me."

"Being upstairs would have bothered you more … Believe me. I …. I don't remember what I did but …. I have an idea." He said, wondering if she would think it was because of his head injury. He knew that wasn't the case. "I know you won't forgive me but … I am sorry. I'll stay down here tonight, I'm sure I earned that one. I'm not as bad as I let on when Lee and Jim were here. You should get some sleep."

"No, Ed," Kristen said, exasperated. "You're injured, remember? You should sleep in your own bed." And Lee had told her to check on him every couple of hours, so she wasn't going to get that much sleep anyway. "And that's not going to fix it anyway … I don't think you even really understand why …" She shook her head. "Do you think you can get up the stairs?"

"You sleep in the bed. I'll sleep down here. I know you're mad at me, and I'm sure I don't know the full extent as to why, but there's no point in fighting over it now. We both need sleep. Tomorrow I'll get rid of my - rid of the body, and then we can talk about it after."

Kristen hesitated for a moment. She was going to have to explain. If she didn't, they were never going to get past this … But the idea of talking about it still made her nervous, and she didn't want to fight with Edward right now either. "Okay," she said, standing up. "Lee said to wake you up every couple of hours to make sure you're okay, so … I apologize for that in advance. We'll … We'll talk in the morning." She headed for the stairs.

"Good night Kristen." He said laying down on the couch, with only the couch cushion. But he didn't have the energy to go get his blanket and pillow.

Kristen glanced over at Edward, before heading up the stairs without a word. She returned a moment later and walked over, setting down the pillow on the couch near his head, and dropping the blanket down over him. "Goodnight, Edward," she sighed, and then headed back upstairs.

Edward looked down at the blanket that was still folded up and now laying on top of him. He hadn't expected her to bring it down for him. "Thank you." He said as she was already halfway upstairs. He fixed the pillow, putting the cushion down on the floor before struggling to pull the blanket open. He managed to get it half open, not having the energy and just giving up. It was good enough.

Kristen set an alarm for a couple of hours, so that she would wake up to come check on him. She barely managed to doze off into a restless sleep full of troubling, jumbled dreams before the alarm went off, and she shuffled blearily back down the stairs to go check on Edward, gently yet irritably nudging his shoulder to make sure he could wake up.

She frowned. "Weren't you wearing a shirt earlier?"

"Mhmm." Edward mumbled, still clearly sleeping. He shifted and forced himself to look up at her. "What?"

Kristen shook her head. Edward was able to wake up. He was fine. And a glance down at the floor quickly solved the mystery of where his shirt had gone. "Nevermind," she said. "Go back to sleep," before she trudged up the stairs to repeat the whole process again.

Two hours later Edward turned over onto his back, half asleep, but the turning in his stomach woke him up. He laid there contemplating whether he was going to throw up or not, before he got up and slowly walked towards the bathroom. He stopped half way across the room, his hand over his stomach, trying to decide if he was okay or not. He took two steps back towards the couch before his stomach made up its mind. He ran for the bathroom, barely making it to the bowl in time.

Kristen stumbled groggily toward the trapdoor, summoned again by the alarm, when she thought she heard Ed throwing up downstairs. She ran the rest of the way down the stairs, nearly tripping and falling toward the bottom. She sighed when she saw the downstairs bathroom door standing open . At least he'd managed to make it in there before he started throwing up violently … She hung around, waiting to make sure he was alright.

Once Edward finished, or at least he thought he finished, he sat back against the wall covered in a cold sweat, most likely from the strain his body had gone through from throwing up. He sat there, tiredly raising his hand to the flusher and cleaning up any mess he'd made, trying to catch his breath.

Kristen tentatively stepping inside, putting a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, though it occurred to her that this was an absurdly unhelpful question.

Edward nodded, "Yeah I'm just … Tired." He said rubbing his face. "Would you mind getting me a glass of water, please?" He asked, as much as he'd rather not ask her to do things for him, he didn't think he had the energy to make it back to the couch let alone upstairs.

"Sure," Kristen said. "Do you want me to help you to the couch first, or do you need a minute to catch your breath?" He just looked so miserable … It was a good thing Jim was calling in for Ed tomorrow … There was no way Edward would be in any condition to work tomorrow.

"I'm fine … I'm just going to sit here for a minute." He said staring down at the floor.

"Okay," Kristen said quietly, lightly touching his shoulder for a moment, before going back upstairs, getting a glass of water, and returning downstairs. She bent down next to Edward and handed it to him.

"Thank you." He said quietly, taking the glass from her and sipping on the water. After a few sips he put the glass down, oddly feeling a bit better. Perhaps his stomach was just upset, there was very little in his stomach to begin with.

He looked to Kristen a moment before he leaned forward, and wrapped his arms awkwardly around her waist. "I'm sorry." He said for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Please stop being mad at me." He said quietly, so quietly it sounded rather pathetic really.

Kristen froze for a moment, surprised, before she sighed and wrapped an arm around him, running her hand comfortingly over his back. He was just too miserable. All she wanted to do was take care of him. "Oh Ed," she sighed. "I'm too tired to be mad right now." And by this point, she was more upset than angry, really. "We'll talk this out in the morning, okay? But right now I'm not going anywhere."

Edward stiffened when she said that and slowly pulled away from her. She specified 'right now' … So … She was leaving him. Just not while he was sick and injured … He leaned against the wall again, and picked up his glass. "I see." He said so quietly he barely even heard it as tears pricked his eyes, his chest hurting and his head feeling like it was spinning again as anxiety started to pull at him.

Kristen looked over at Edward as he pulled away, confused. What had she said that had made it worse? Was it that she hadn't promised to stop being mad? It wasn't as if she could do that on command. "Edward?" she said uncertainly.

"Yes?" He asked, shakily taking another sip of his water, feeling like he was going to throw up again, though for an entirely different reason.

"Do you …" She hesitated. Was she really comfortable with what she was about to suggest? But her anger was too numbed by exhaustion to object. Anyway, it would be easier for her to check on him if he were close to her, and she wouldn't have to keep going up and down the stairs. "Do you want to come up to bed?" Assuming he was able to … She'd have to give him a hand up, at the very least.

Edward was silent for a moment. "No." He said quietly taking another sip of his water, not looking up at her. "I'll be fine. You can go back to bed if you want."

"Oh." Kristen said, finding herself somehow disappointed. But … it made sense, in a weird way. Being close to Edward was comforting … Even if, in this instance, he was part of what was upsetting her in the first place. "Okay … Just … Just let me know if you need anything." She didn't know what she'd said to make it worse, but she seemed to do that a lot lately.

"Okay." He said simply, taking another sip of his water, the liquid feeling heavy in his stomach. He wouldn't call her tonight … He didn't understand why she even bothered to volunteer to stay. She could have easily said she couldn't … Made him go to the hospital instead. Asked Jim and Lee to drive him there … Maybe she just hadn't wanted to inconvenience them … But then, that's always what Ed had been wasn't it? An inconvenience?

Kristen trudged up the stairs uneasily, not at all comfortable with leaving him by himself like this for now, even if there was nothing she could really do. She found herself wondering if they could ever really come back from this, and be happy the way they'd been before. Everything that had happened tonight had shaken her to her core, and she could no longer find the sense of safety that she'd felt with him just yesterday.

She glanced over at the suitcase propped against the wall in an out-of-the-way corner. She remembered what Edward had said about prying through suitcases … She shuddered. She wasn't going to look. That part wasn't his fault. They'd both done the only thing they could, however horrible.

She told herself that the locked door had probably been a panic move. The circumstances were so unreal, so hideous, that anyone would have acted out of character; that didn't mean it was going to happen again. It wasn't like Ed had ever done anything like that before... But then, there was a first time for everything. Hadn't she been here before, making excuses for someone who was supposed to care about her, telling herself that this time was definitely the last time, that it would never happen again. Could she really have ended up in the same place all over again, just because she'd been so damned desperate to finally get it right.

"No," she muttered under her breath. "Not Edward." Ed was gentle to a fault … under ordinary circumstances, anyway. She shot a baleful glare at the dreaded suitcase. "You're the one I blame for this," she told it.

No, it wouldn't happen again, she thought darkly. They could only kill Ed's father once, after all … And that was quite enough of that train of thought. If she was talking to suitcases … or possibly worse … it was definitely time to get some sleep.

That was a vain attempt, however. She only managed to toss and turn fitfully for a couple of hours, until the alarm startled her out of bed, and it was time to go check on Edward again. She frowned when she saw that the bathroom light was still on … and that the couch was empty. She ran to the bathroom, stomach tight with worry, but found Edward exactly where she'd left him, slumped against the wall. He seemed fine … except that there was a distinctive redness around his eyes. Edward had been crying.

She winced, stung with guilt. Why had she left? He might have told her to, but she still shouldn't have … She crouched down and gently nudged his shoulder. "Edward?"

Edward groaned as she nudged and him slowly opened his eyes, his eyes red from crying. He rubbed his eyes and looked away from her. "I'm fine … I'm awake." He grumbled.

"Edward…" she said quietly, her hand remaining on his shoulder. "This is no place to sleep. Please… will you come to bed?"

"I'm fine on the couch." He said forcing himself to stand up against the wall.

"Edward," Kristen said, putting an arm around him and looking up at him. "Please."

"Why?" Edward asked, flinching from her touch. He wished she would stop touching him … Why was she making this harder than it needed to be?

Kristen looked confused. "I'm not so mad at you that I wouldn't let you sleep in your own bed," she said. "And … I don't think you should be alone right now."

'Right now.' She kept specifying 'Right now.' "But tomorrow that would be okay right?" He asked. "Once I'm 'better' …" He said bitterly, moving into the game room.

"What?" Kristen said, staring at Edward as he moved away from her. "Ed, what are you talking about?"

"You can stop pretending Miss. Kringle …" He said sitting down on the couch and running his hands through his hair, his elbows resting on his knees. "I'm not stupid …. Just leave me alone." He said quietly. "It would probably be easier for both of us."

"Pretending?" Kristen repeated, her eyes threatening to tear up on her. "Is that … really what you think of me? I'm trying to help. Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"Pushing you away?" Edward asked. "You've made it rather clear you're leaving tomorrow … If not then, then soon …" Edward said, not bothering to look up at her as he started tearing up again.

Kristen's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "Edward, no, I never … I didn't mean …" She found herself blinking back tears. Yes, there had been a few moments tonight when she'd thought about it, but … but … She didn't want it to come to that. She went over and sat down next to him on the couch. "Yes, I'm still upset, but … I want to work through this. I … I don't want to leave."

Edward paused, glancing at her before wiping away the few tears that fell down his cheeks. "But … You said-" Edward paused. She wasn't leaving? She wanted to work through this? Edward felt more confused than he had in a long time. Hadn't she said she was leaving him just a few hours ago?

Kristen shook her head. "What did I say that made you think I was leaving?" she asked, bewildered.

"You said 'Right now I'm not going anywhere.' … That's a very odd specification, don't you think? And then you said it again just now in the bathroom." He said. "You said 'You shouldn't be alone right now.' Not 'you shouldn't be alone' …. It's just …. A very odd specification."

Kristen looked back at him. "Really? That's what …" She sighed. "Edward, not everything has a hidden meaning for you to figure out. I kind of thought the second one at least was self-explanatory … I left you alone for a couple of hours to try to get some rest, and come back to find you on the bathroom floor. I meant that right now, I literally can't seem to leave you alone for a few moments without you ending up in a worse state than before. And … And the first time, I… guess I meant to communicate uncertainty," she admitted, looking down at the floor. "Just that … I don't honestly know if I'll have a reason to change my mind later, but … as of right now, I have no intention of leaving."

"Really?" Edward asked looking up at her, hope clear on his face and he hated how vulnerable he felt. It was always when he was the most vulnerable that he got hurt the most.

"Yes, really," Kristen smiled slightly, before leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. "Now will you please just come to bed?"

Edward looked like he was going to start crying again, though for an entirely different reason. "I promise I'll try not to give you any reason to leave." He said pulling her into a hug, his long arms wrapped around her.

"Although ….." Ed paused letting go of her and looking down. He couldn't give her a reason to leave now …. He had to put all the cards on the table now. If she found out later …. "I um …. I think I may need to tell you something. I …. I should have told you sooner but …. I didn't want to scare you. And you have a right to know."

Kristen returned his hug tightly, feeling a deep sense of relief at feeling his arms around her. They still had a lot to work through … she still had to explain why she was so upset, in order to ensure that it wouldn't happen again … but holding him now reassured her that things could be alright again. She looked up at him as he let go of her, confused.

"Ed …" she said, a hint of apprehension hiding behind a tight smile. "What could possibly be scarier than what happened to us tonight?"

Edward took a deep breath and took her hand in his. "Do you remember the day … When I saw the bruise Officer Daugherty left on your arm?" He asked.

Kristen tensed, upset at the memory of how she'd felt that day. Though she also remembered being surprised by Edward's concern. "Yes," she said quietly. "I remember."

"Well … I was really worried … About you." He said quietly. "I wanted to make sure you were okay … So I came to your apartment. I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were alright. Officer Daugherty saw me, so I confronted him about how he was treating you. I told him you deserved to be treated better …."

Kristen's eyes widened. "Edward…" she said, stunned. "You didn't have to… You shouldn't have done that. You could have been seriously hurt. How… how did you even know where I lived?"

"I um …. I looked at your file at work. I'm really sorry, I am …. I shouldn't have done that but …" He looked down at the floor unable to look at her. "I couldn't just let it keep happening. I had to do something."

"It's … It's okay," Kristen said uneasily, but understanding. Under other circumstances, knowing he'd looked up her address in the files would have led her to some nasty conclusions … and she still wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but it seemed like he'd just been really scared for her safety. He probably hadn't known what else to do. "But … it still wasn't a good idea to confront him like that. He's …" Kristen shook her head. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Well that's … Not all I wanted to tell you." He said nervously. "When I confronted him … He laughed at me of course. But then he …. He assaulted me."

"He what!?" Kristen said, her hand tightening around Edward's. She wasn't shocked that Dougherty had attacked him, but that Edward had apparently come out of it more or less unscathed, and that he was just now telling her this.

"He punched me in the ribs so hard I couldn't breath. I collapsed on the ground, saw stars from the pain. He grabbed me by my jacket and hauled me up and I panicked …." He said letting go of her hand and running it through his hair nervously. "As you say I'm not a fighter, and I live in a bad area, even by Gotham standards … So I keep a knife on me for protection." He said quietly. "I stabbed him. I think we were both surprised about it at first … And I wasn't thinking clearly. I never stabbed someone before and I just stabbed a cop. The wound wouldn't have killed him but …." He paused and shook his head. "He grabbed me again and I got scared …" He stared down at the floor. "I killed him."

"You…" Krisen stared at him, wide-eyed, her voice quiet and unsteady. "You … killed him?" She shook her head. "Oh my God," she whispered, burying her face in her hands. She was trembling violently, and she felt sick. "Oh my God…" He'd been there trying to make sure she was safe. Dougherty had attacked him. She understood that. But it was still terrible. And it would have been so easy for things to have turned out differently, for Ed to be the one who … She shuddered.

Edward could tell she was scared. He had expected her to be half way up the stairs by now, but she was staying …. She was shaking, and clearly distressed but … She was still here. Edward raised his hand to her, wanting to comfort her but paused, lowering his hand again. Perhaps that wasn't the best idea.

"The letter." Kristen looked up abruptly as the idea hit her. "You did write it, didn't you? I wasn't just being paranoid, you actually … That's … that's incredibly messed up … God, Ed, why did you do that?"

"If he just disappeared you would have been more hurt, or tried looking for him. I thought it would be easier if …. If you at least knew he was gone." He said still staring down at the floor. "I was scared you'd somehow find out what I did …. You'd tell someone else … I mean …. You still could I guess but … I figured if I was going to tell you it might as well be tonight. All cards on the table so to speak." He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I didn't write it to hurt you … If … If that's what you're thinking."

Kristen sighed. "I guess…. I guess it was easier that way, than if… if…" She couldn't finish that thought. Edward got the idea.

And it had worked, hadn't it? She'd been so mad that Dougherty had just up and left without even saying goodbye to her face, that after everything he'd put her through it had all been for nothing. But a part of her had felt relieved that it was over, that she didn't have to live that way anymore. But now, knowing he was dead, she felt guilty for feeling that way. He'd been an abusive creep, and he'd attacked Edward, but … she had cared about him once. It was hard to wrap her head around. Everything was so messed up. Nothing made sense.

She realized that she was crying, tears running unchecked down her face. "Sorry," she muttered, trying to wipe them away, but they kept falling. She couldn't stop. "It's just… Everything is so…" She took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts into something coherent. She latched back onto the letter. "It spelled out 'Nygma,'" she remembered, finally looking back up at him. "What was that about?"

"I uh …. I don't know really. I had an urge to leave a clue … I don't know why. Maybe I wanted you to figure it out." He said with a shrug. "But when you confronted me about it …. I'll be honest, I got a little giddy when you figured it out. Absolutely terrified but …. You're smart …. I like that." He said.

Kristen buried her face in her hands again, cradling her aching head. "Really not the time for compliments right now, Ed," she said. How was she supposed to react to this? She cared about Edward. He didn't make her miserable like everyone else had ended up doing. And she was glad he was alright. The thought still terrified her that, if things had gone differently, Edward might have been the one who disappeared, or at the very least was seriously hurt … It was self defense. And Edward had been trying to protect her … But he'd still killed Dougherty … But what could she even say about that? Hadn't she just stabbed Edward's father earlier for the same reason? All things considered, Edward had taken that relatively well.

Kristen stubbornly wiped the tears away until they were gone, before looking up at him again. "Thank you for … for telling me, at least," she said shakily. Part of her wanted to run away from him, and the other part wanted to hold him. "I … I have a lot to think about."

"Yes, I … I figured you would." He said glancing out the window where the sun was just starting to rise. "Maybe we should get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep … If you can anyway … And then I'll take care of … Um …" He paused.

"Um?" Kristen repeated, before shivering slightly. "Oh. Yes. That." The suitcase couldn't just sit there in the apartment … And there was that to take into account too. They'd just killed a man together. She still didn't know how to process that. An image popped into her head of Edward being caught hauling around a corpse in a suitcase. She shook her head. "We'll both go take care of it," she said, more decisively than she felt about anything else. "We're both involved in this now. There's no getting around that."

"You don't have too." Edward said looking at her. He couldn't understand it … She now knew he was a murderer …. She could easily walk away right now and turn him in but … Instead she wanted to help him hide the body?

"You can try to talk me out of it in the morning," Kristen sighed. It occurred to her that she might be losing her mind. She stood up, her hand unintentionally lingering on his shoulder for a moment, before she withdrew it awkwardly. "You should try to get some more sleep too."

"I will." Edward said quietly and almost as an afterthought he grabbed onto her hand gently, to stop her from walking away. "Kristen …" He gently pulled her back to the couch until she was sitting beside him again. He looked worried a moment, opening his mouth to say something before he paused. He ran his thumb over her hand before he finally spoke. "You … You know I would never hurt you … Right?" Edward asked, scared of what she might say. After last night she had every reason to be scared of him, but he would never harm her. He hoped that she would know that …

Kristen looked back at Edward, her hand resting in his. "I… don't think you would. I still don't… but…" She glanced away, her eyes tearing up again slightly, her voice diminishing to just above a whisper. "But … I've been wrong before."

Edward moved his hand to her chin, getting her to look up at him, his thumb or his other hand wiping the tears from under her eye. "You're not wrong now … I never … I promise, never … Will I hurt you. And I don't make promises lightly. Nor promises I can't keep. I can't guarantee you we'll agree all the time, or we won't argue or fight but …. I will never lay a hand on you."

Kristen hesitated for a moment, then said quietly: "I believe you." She hoped it didn't make her a gullible idiot. The way he said it, though, he seemed so sincere, so sure, and she needed that reassurance. It didn't address all of her fears, all of her misgivings… but it was a start. "There's…" She hesitated. Could she really explain herself coherently right now? "There's other things…" she shook her head. "We'll talk more tomorrow. But…" she looked up into his eyes. "Thank you… I needed to hear you say that."

Edward smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning then." He paused and glanced outside again. "Well, I suppose it is morning, but you know what I mean."

Kristen smiled back tiredly. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said. She hesitated for a moment, before she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek too. "See you." She got up to head back upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Edward groaned as he turned over on the couch, rolling onto his back. He rubbed his eyes feeling way too tired to be awake yet. He glanced at the entertainment unit where the cable box had the time.

It was almost 1pm …. He sighed and he hauled himself off the couch and headed upstairs. He saw Kristen sleeping on the bed, her hair a wild mess around her head, fanned out over the pillow. He smiled softly, contemplating waking her but decided against it.

He quietly moved around the kitchen, his stomach grumbling as he started to prepare a small breakfast, and a picnic basket of food.

Kristen stirred sleepily, hearing movement and smelling the scent from the kitchen. Her limbs felt heavy as she moved. She was still tired; despite how physically and emotionally exhausted she'd been last night, she still hadn't been able to fall asleep immediately. She opened her eyes, stretching, and sat up as she looked over at Edward, who was bustling about the kitchen, as if nothing had ever happened. But it had. Her stomach twisted slightly with lingering dread, even as she smiled with relief at seeing him up and about.

"Good morning," she said groggily, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Feeling better?"

"Tired … And I have a headache but I'm fine." He said throwing some sandwiches into the basket before he moved over to the stove and pulled the frying pan off. "I made you an omelette if you want. Neither of us ate last night so … I'm sure you're hungry. I also thought we could have a picnic later." He said placing the omelette onto a plate and bringing it over to her with his own plate. A very hastily made 'breakfast in bed'.

"Thank you, Edward," she said, her stomach grumbling slightly. Now that he mentioned it, she was starving. She felt bad, though, that he was the one up and about making breakfast after the night he'd had. "That," she said, a little confused about why Edward thought now was a good time to go off and have a picnic. Maybe he was trying to make up for everything last night. "Sounds really nice."

Edward looked up at her and smiled, glad he's finally got something right. "After we eat then …" He said sitting cross legged on the bed.

Kristen nodded. She took a bite of the omelette, looking down at the plate in thought. There was just so much to work through. It was hard to know where to begin.

Once Ed was finished his omelette he took his plate to the sink. "Do you want to shower before we go or after?" He asked as he opened his closet and dug around until he found the metal shovel. Personally he'd rather shower after. He'd probably have to anyway.

"After," Kristen said, thinking along the same lines as she got up and went to get dressed. She was surprised that there was no further attempt on Ed's part to talk her out of coming. He seemed to respect her need to accompany him for this … That was promising at least.

Ed placed the shovel by the suitcase and pulled some clothes to change into. Once he was done he took the basket off the counter and handed it to Kristen. "Ready?"

Kristen nodded, taking the basket. "You have a place in mind?" she asked. If they were going to dispose of the … suitcase, then somewhere pretty remote would be best. And that seemed to be what Ed was thinking, since there weren't very many places inside the Gotham city limits that were exactly ideal for a picnic.

"There's a forest not far outside of the city." He said. "We'll take care of this and then go for a picnic."

"Sounds like a perfectly plausible reason for us to be out there," Kristen said, catching on as she carried the picnic basket to the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Edward stopped the car in the forest when he couldn't drive any farther. He killed the engine and got out, moving to the trunk to pop it open.

Kristen got out of the car, going around to the back to see if Edward needed any help, glancing around nervously in case anyone saw them, but there was no one around.

Edward handed her the basket and took out the shovel before hauling the suitcase out as well. "No point doubling back for the basket." He said starting to walk farther into the forest.

Kristen nodded, following after him quietly. Edward seemed to know where he was going, almost as if he already had a particular spot in mind. She couldn't help but wonder. "Have…" she paused briefly, wondering if she'd regret asking. "Have you um… used this forest before?"

"No." He said turning to her. "When would I have-" Oh right … Daugherty … "No …" He said continuing on until he stopped at a decent spot.

She was glad, weirdly, that Edward hadn't disposed of Dougherty's body here. She didn't know why it mattered, though. Wherever his remains had ended up, he wasn't any less dead there than he would have been here. It didn't change anything. She came to a stop when Edward did.

"Want to take turns digging?" she asked.

It was a macabre thing to ask to take part in, but everything about this felt surreal. It was hard to really process what they were doing, and so the part of her brain that would ordinarily be freaking out about it seemed to have shut down, leaving her numb to the implications of what they were doing. Anyway, it was a practical question. It was bound to be hard work by the time the hole was deep enough to keep the suitcase from being found.

"Just keep a watch out." Edward said as he started digging the hole. He dug until it was about two and a half feet deep, and just slightly longer than the size of the suitcase.

He put the shovel down against the tree next to where she'd put the picnic basket down, and moved over to the suitcase and pulled it into the hole.

As Edward moved over to the suitcase, Kristen thought she heard a twig snap nearby, and craned her neck trying to see, certain that she'd heard movement. "Ed," she murmured frantically, still keeping her voice down. "Someone's coming."

"Hey, what are you two doing all the way out here?" Edward jumped despite Kristen's slight warning.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people … It's rude." Edward said as the man came closer. "Would you like a tea sandwich?" He asked moving over to the picnic basket.

"A what?" He asked not paying attention to Ed as he looked into the hole. "Hey what the heck you got in there?"

"Nothing," said Kristen hastily, taking a step toward the man, trying not to panic.

"Don't look like nothing." Edward picked up the shovel he'd used to dig the hole. He swung it up and above his head bringing it down hard on the man's neck. The man grunted and fell into the hole, the head of the shovel snapping off from the force of the hit. There was no way the man survived that.

Kristen stared down at where the man had fallen, knowing he wasn't getting up from that, knowing he had to be dead, and felt ... relieved. If that man had reported them … it would have all been over. But still … she knew it should have bothered her. Just days ago, it would have completely horrified her. It should have horrified her … why didn't it? Was it just that after everything, one more stranger seemed to make less difference … particularly a stranger who could have jeopardized Edward's entire future, and her own. But … Edward had just killed someone, right in front of her. She should feel something, shouldn't she? Yet, except for the dwindling burst of adrenaline after they'd almost been caught, she didn't feel anything.

"Ah great." Edward said kicking the mans boot. "Now I have to improvise."

"So…" Kristen said, looking back up at Edward. "That got out of hand quickly."

"Yes it did." Edward said evaluating the situation. "It's his own fault for sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." He said tossing what was left of the shovel onto the ground. "Well …. If I can't make the hole bigger …. We'll have to make you smaller."

Kristen raised an eyebrow as she looked back at Edward. Well. If that didn't confirm how Edward had gotten his father into the suitcase … And that sure as hell should have bothered her. But what else could they do? "Do you have tools for that on hand?" It wasn't as if they'd planned on having to dispose of a second body today.

"Yeah, I have my saw kit in the car." He said sounding rather annoyed. He looked down at the body shaking his head. "Don't go anywhere." He said before heading towards the car.

"I don't think he's planning on it," said Kristen, following after Edward. What was happening to her? How was she just calmly talking about a dead man Edward had just murdered? Had it just not sank in yet? Still … she wasn't comfortable enough with the situation to want to hang around with two dead men, one of them in plain sight.

Edward looked at her as they reached the car. He paused and raised his hand to her, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "Hey …" He said quietly. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I … don't know," she said, looking up at him. "This really should bother me, but ...:" She shook her head. She couldn't explain it. Maybe she had just exceeded her capacity for emotional turmoil. "What about you?" she asked. After all, Edward was the one who had ended up killing him.

"Yeah I'm fine." He said. Honestly he was. Killing that man had been obnoxious, and not nearly as thrilling as Daugherty … But it he had still enjoyed it. "Do you want to stay over here while I take care of this guy?"

Kristen started to say yes, but then paused. It was because he'd thought that she couldn't handle it that she'd ended up stuck downstairs last night… She straightened her posture and shook her head. "I'll stay with you," she said firmly. "If I decide I can't handle it, I'll come back to the car."

Edward watched her for a moment before he nodded. "Okay." He said quietly, not wanting to argue with her. He wasn't comfortable with her watching him do this but … He didn't want to argue. He headed back to where the suitcase, and the hunter were inside the hole and put the saw kit down on the ground, opening the wooden case.

Kristen went over to sit back down near the picnic basket, then frowned as she noticed something. "Edward …" she said uneasily. "I think someone else was here."

Edward looked up at her but paused half way, staring at a spot on the ground. "Hey, who took the picnic basket?" He asked looking around and finding a trail of blood. He sighed.

"You know … For a secluded forest this place has a lot of foot traffic."

"You're telling me," Kristen said, fighting back a growing alarm at just how out of hand things were getting. "Who does that, anyway? Sees a dead body and thinks 'guess I'll steal some sandwiches'?" And she'd thought she was getting too desensitized.

Edward sighed as he tossed the saw he'd picked up back into the case. "Looks like it's going to get a tad crowded in there." He said standing up. He looked over at the hunter a moment before he picked the saw back up and the flashlight. "I'll be back."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" she asked anxiously. "It could be dangerous." Given how apparently unfazed the intruder had been by this macabre scene, he was likely either very desperate, or a hardened killer himself. Either way, not someone it was advisable to cross alone.

"I'll be fine. I'd feel better if you stayed here." He said before following after the trail of blood.

"Alright," Kristen sighed, then looked down at the dead hunter. "Guess it's just you and me then." Remembering the suitcase, she added: "Plus one carry-on."


	8. Chapter 8

For a while, she just waited and worried, pacing around the shallow, overcrowded grave, flinching at the slightest sound in the trees, thinking it might be Edward, or the cold-blooded sandwich thief, or yet another intruder. But it was always nothing. She wondered how far away the witness would get, how far Edward would have to follow him, whether he'd come back safe … Whether someone else would wander by and see this scene, with her standing over it. She didn't like looking at the hunter's remains, sitting there so conspicuously. However long Edward took, it wasn't good for this blatant evidence to just sit out in the open like this…

She glanced down at the spare saw, still left there in the kit, and a terrible thought occurred to her. She could take care of it on Ed's behalf … No. She shuddered at the darkly practical places her mind was going, not liking how easily she was forming these conclusions. But someone had to do it, didn't they? And there was no telling what state of exhaustion Edward might be in when he returned. Hadn't she wanted to help? To be able to handle whatever happened? And to know that she didn't always just mess things up? But … Edward was probably right, though. This wasn't something she was equipped to deal with. She'd end up being sick, most likely … And yet … hadn't she wondered how Edward could work around dead bodies like that? How anyone ever got used to that, and whether she could possibly …

She knew she didn't like sitting around here doing nothing, that much was certain. Finally, with shaking hands, she reached down and picked up the saw. There was only one way to find out.


	9. Chapter 9

Edward groaned as he adjusted his grip on the man beside him. He wished the man hadn't made it so far when he'd followed after him. It was already dark and he couldn't carry Oswald and hold the flashlight at the same time without having a difficult time of it.

He'd already got turned around twice and wound up back at the camper. He sighed as he stopped, using the flashlight to look around.

"KRISTEN!" He called out for the millionth time since he'd gotten lost. He had to be close … He had to still be going in the right direction.

"Edward?" Kristen called back, relieved, sure that she heard him this time. He'd been gone for hours, and she'd gotten increasingly worried as the forest had started to get dark.

"KRISTEN!" He yelled again trying to figure out what direction her voice came from. "KEEP TALKING!" He said wishing he'd left the car keys with her. There was a chance he'd be able to see the car headlights, but sadly that wasn't the case.

"I'm this way!" Kristen called out to him, straining to try to see him through the darkness. "Did … did everything turn out okay?"

"No." He called out finally figuring out where her voice was coming from. He reached her in a few minutes, hauling Oswald beside him. "Help me get him in the car. I'll come back to take care of-" he paused when he saw that the hole was still open but …. The man now fit in said hole. "Did you-" Edward paused, before he shook his head. "Never mind. Help me get him into the car!"

Kristen looked down at the injured and unconscious man Edward was dragging along. "Edward…" she said slowly. "Is… is that the Penguin?"

"Yes. I found him in a trailer a little ways out. He's injured, if we don't get him back soon he's going to die." He said panting as he hauled Oswald towards his car.

"Right," she said, trying not to freak out at the direction things had taken. She put an arm around Oswald, helping Edward to get him to the car. He was in seriously pitiful condition. It was easy to forget the man was a cold-blooded killer. "We're helping the Penguin now… Edward, you know everyone's looking for him. What exactly are we supposed to do while he's recovering? Just hide him? You do remember we work at GCPD, right?"

"Yes, which is exactly why they wouldn't look at my apartment. Two days ago could you imagine me killing someone, even in self defence?" He asked sitting Oswald down on the seat of the car. "Hold him." He said waiting until Kristen had him propped up. He moved to the other side of the car and opened the door. "I'm invisible remember? No one would even think he'd be at my apartment, let alone take the time to search it." He said climbing through the car and taking a hold of Oswald's shoulders, hauling him back onto the seat. He groaned as he got out and shut the door, leaning against the car. He was physically exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lay down, but he couldn't stop, not yet.

That … really shouldn't have made as much sense to her as it did. She shook her head. "This is insane," she said. "We've both gone completely insane, haven't we?"

Edward looked up at her as he rounded back around the car. "Do you have a better idea? If we leave him here he'll die …. If we dump him at a hospital, Galavan will have him killed. He's weak, he's vulnerable, and he's done nothing to us …."

"I … I know," Kristen said, glancing back into the car, unable to help pitying his helpless state. "But …" She refrained from saying 'he kills people.' They'd passed the point where they could pass judgment on that. "The hunter hadn't done anything to us either," she pointed out quietly. It was so strange to try to comprehend. One minute, she was having to dismember a complete stranger Edward had killed just for being a witness. The next, here was Edward trying to take a wanted crime boss home like a stray puppy.

"No, but he would have. He already saw the blood on the suitcase, he realized what was going on, there was no way he wouldn't go to the GCPD if he had the chance … And as you mentioned, we wouldn't be hard to find. We work there." He said quietly moving back over to the hole. He knew Oswald needed help but they had to take care of this first. He started shoving dirt back into the hole, his arms aching from having hauled Oswald back, but this had to be done and fast. They needed to get back to Gotham so that he could tend to Oswald's wounds.

Kristen sighed, and went over to go help Edward push the dirt back into the hole. "But the Penguin couldn't possibly be a threat to us at all?" she asked sarcastically, then shook her head. "Look … I feel bad for him too, and we can help him, but … I'm getting pretty confused about your logic behind deciding when to kill someone and when not to, and it's getting more than a little unsettling."

"If we left him here to die do you not think his men would look into it? Maybe trace him back to here? Find evidence that we were here as well? He has trained assassins working for him do you really think they wouldn't be capable of finding us connected to him at all at this point?" He asked. "Besides … Do you really think he'd bother running to the GCPD over two dead people he doesn't know? He's got a pretty hefty wanted sign over his own head."

"True," Kristen shook her head. "But his men won't be the only ones looking for him …" She looked up at him fearfully. "What are you getting us into, Edward?"

"Well what do you suggest we do?" Edward asked getting annoyed. He was exhausted and as stressed as she was, this had gotten more out of hand than he expected it to. "Would you like me to go back in time, let my father kill me? Let him go out on the loose? We'd never be here … I'm sure this guy would still be alive and neither one of us would have to worry about him!" He was motioning to his car.

Kristen flinched slightly at his words, and looked up at him, eyes wide and upset. "No, I didn't ... I don't know what we should do, okay?" She looked back down into the hole in the ground, so dark now that she couldn't see the bottom, as she shoved more dirt forward. "Excuse me for being a little freaked out by all of this!"

"Well I don't know what you want me to do. Should I have just left him there? Let this guy go tell the police?" Edward said clearly getting angry. It didn't help that that damn hallucination was back, leaning against a tree and smirking at him as if this was amusing. "Perhaps we should just take Penguin to a hospital, then he won't be our problem, then I can go turn myself in …. Sounds like a solution." He said shoving the last of the dirt to place and kicking some leaves around so it didn't look so obviously bare.

"I didn't say any of that!" she snapped, hurt that he was apparently mad at her now. "I just said I don't know what to do." She brushed the dirt off her hands and walked back over to the car.

"So are we leaving him or taking him?" Edward asked coming up to the car.

'Really?' Edward ignored the hallucination that was now leaning against the car. 'You're going to let the woman decide?' Edward glared at the hallucination but ignored it's comment. 'Take him. It'll be fun. You could use a new friend.'

"Shut up." Edward muttered before he could stop himself.

Kristen stopped in her tracks. "Don't," she said coldly. "Tell me to shut up. You've already decided we're taking him, so let's just go."

Edward groaned. "I wasn't talking to you." He said frustrated, moving the rest of the way to the car.

Kristen didn't say anything as she got in on the passenger's side and closed the door. She realized her hands were shaking.

Edward got into the car and started it without saying anything to her. At this point perhaps silence was preferable.

They drove in silence back into Gotham, Edward forcing himself to remain calm as he wound up driving next to a police car. The police car drove beside them for two blocks before Ed signalled and pulled onto another road just to get away from it.

"This is insane." Edward said turning onto a street that would take them back to where they needed to go.

"You're not wrong," she said shakily, before noticing that Ed had veered away from the turn they would take to get to his apartment. "I thought we were taking him back to your place?"

"I am." He said turning onto another street, driving straight down and turning onto hers. He stopped outside of her apartment and put his hazards on.

Kristen looked over at Edward. Had he decided she would just be in the way? Hadn't she just dismembered a goddamn body for him? It had been horrible, but … A part of her had hoped he might be proud of her, that she could handle it. Well. She guessed this was at least better than locking her downstairs again. She opened the car door and let herself out.

"Will I see you again tomorrow?" she asked, keeping her voice even as possible.

"If you want … You can stop by tomorrow." Edward said glancing back at Oswald who groaned in pain in the back seat. "Kristen …." Edward said before she could walk away. "I'm sorry for snapping at you back there … I was just-"

Kristen shook her head. "It's… It's okay. We're tired and scared and we said things. Go take care of Cobblepot."

Ed nodded slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He said giving her a bit of a forced smile before someone behind him honked at him. He glanced back at the car before taking his hazards off and slowly pulling away to drive back to his apartment.


	10. Chapter 10

Kristen trudged up the steps to her apartment, fumbling with the keys to let herself in, dropping them once as her hands started shaking worse than before, before closing and locking the door behind her, flipping on the lights. Once she was alone, what was left of her composure abandoned her, and she leaned back against the door sobbing.

Edward had nearly died. He was probably still injured now. They'd killed a man. Edward had locked her downstairs, and she still couldn't get over that. Then she'd had to dismember the second one… She still couldn't get the images of that out of her head. And now the Penguin was involved and they'd yelled at each other, and she still couldn't process Dougherty … She flinched as a shadow moved across the wall, but it was just a car passing by outside the window.

She couldn't figure this out if she didn't have a chance to think, but … she didn't want to be alone right now. She went to the phone, hands still shaking as she dialed a number she hadn't in months.

"House of boys, this is Josh!" Came a clearly feminine voice from the other side of the phone, imitating a stereotypical gay voice. Music blaring in the background making it hard to understand.

Kristen unexpectedly broke into an abrupt laugh, though the tears didn't stop coming. "Hi Deidre," she said, struggling to keep her voice calm. She was so relieved that she picked up. Though now that she had, Kristen wasn't quite sure what to say. It wasn't as if she could tell her about what was happening with Edward. "I'm… sorry it's been so long since I've called." She'd started to fall out of touch about the time she'd started dating Flass, since she'd been afraid Deidre might criticize the relationship, and had stopped contacting her entirely while she was with Dougherty, who tended to interrogate her about every phone call. She felt a pang of guilt when she realized that it had been months now. "Are you in town?" For all she knew, Deidre could have decided to travel again.

"Kristen?" Deidre said, plugging her other ear with her finger. "Hold on, I can't hear you." She said loudly over the music. "Let me get outside." She said moving through the crowed and heading towards the entrance. Once she was outside she moved to the side of the building. She could still hear music from inside but at least it was much quieter. Muffled.

"Kristen?" She asked again once she could hear her.

"Hi …" she said, her voice still shaky with the threat of tears, despite her best efforts. "Do… do you have time to talk? It sounds like you're kind of busy."

"No, I can talk. What's going on? I haven't heard from you in forever. I tried calling but you never answered." She said leaning against the wall.

"I'm sorry about that," she said. In hindsight, that had probably been a sign of how wrong things were. "I really am … I just … got into a bad relationship. And then another one. And … I don't know. Things just … spiraled out of control. I'm sorry. I should have called you a long time ago." She was crying again and she felt like a complete idiot.

"It's okay. Believe me I'm sure I've done worse. Are you …." Deidre paused. "Are you crying? Kristen dear, what's wrong?"

"Sorry … There's … just a lot going on right now. I've gotten really good at fucking things up lately." And she couldn't even really explain what was going on now. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea… Deidre hadn't heard from her in forever, and now she was calling her in tears like this, interrupting whatever she was doing this evening.

"Kristen. You've always been good at fucking things up." Deidre said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. "Do you want to get together? We can talk in person?" She asked.

Kristen hesitated for a moment. "I'd like that," she said. "Are you sure you're not busy?"

"Naw, I had a date but she took off as soon as we got here. Where do you want to meet?" Deidre asked.

"Would you mind coming over here?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I can do that. Do you still live at the same place?" She asked starting to walk down to the street attempting to hail down a cab.

"Yeah, same place," Kristen said, wincing at the realization that she'd been out of touch long enough that it might not have been. "Thanks, Deidre… I really owe you."

"I'll see you in a bit." She said pausing a moment. "Just hang in there huh. Don't do anything stupid."

"Don't worry," Kristen reassured her. "I'm all out of stupid things to do right now."


	11. Chapter 11

Deidre walked through the hall, her heels clicking on the smooth floor. She reached the door and knocked.

Kristen opened the door a crack, before confirming that it was Deidre, and opening it the rest of the way. She'd clearly been crying earlier, but was much more composed than when she'd called. "Thank you for coming," she said gratefully. "I really appreciate it."

Deidre stepped into the apartment and immediately pulled Kristen into a hug. "Are you okay?"

Kristen nodded against Deidre's shoulder, returning the hug tightly. "I'll be fine," she said. "There's just a lot going on, and I can't talk about all of it, but I just… needed a friend." She didn't know if she was making any sense, but she was glad beyond belief that Deidre was here.

"It's okay. Is it a guy? I seem to recall you complaining about someone … What was his name? Flask? Are you still with him?" Deidre asked moving into the apartment to sit down with Kristen, her short skirt riding up but she didn't seem to mind.

Kristen shook her head, following Deidre into the living room, the walls of which were completely covered in shelves crowded with books. "Flass was two boyfriends ago… He's in prison now. He was taking money from drug dealers, apparently. Then I dated another officer, Tom Dougherty… That didn't work out so well either."

"And now?" Deidre asked. 'Two boyfriends ago', there's one Kristen wasn't mentioning. Which must be the one causing the problem. "The new boyfriend? What's he like?"

"He's… well… Edward's different," she sighed, sitting down on the couch next to Deidre. "He's a little awkward around most people, and I didn't know how to respond to him at first, but… it's kind of cute. And he's sweet. He can be overprotective, but ... He doesn't insult or hurt me like ... " she shook her head. "But … he has issues of his own to work through, and lately that's been … complicating things."

"Anyone in the world will come with their own baggage. He doesn't hurt you or insult you though - so at least that's progress." She said. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked before looking at her seriously. "He's not dangerous is he? Are you afraid of him?"

"No," Kristen said, defensively, then looked away. "At least … I don't think so. I don't know … It's just … Some things have happened lately. A family member of his showed up and attacked him, and … it brought out this other side of him … and now there's this … new acquaintance of his who could be a bad influence, and …" She was quiet for a moment, struggling to decide what to say and what not to. "Look, I won't go into detail, because I don't know how comfortable he'd be with me talking about it, but he's been dealing with some mental health issues on top of everything else, and … things are kind of a mess right now."

"So … He's a good guy … He treats you well, but he got attacked and reacted negatively?" Deidre asked. "And he has a mental health issue that isn't his fault? He doesn't sound too bad to me. He sounds human. I mean I don't know anything beyond what you're telling me but ... Do you think maybe you're looking for the bad in him because of your past relationships?"

"Maybe," Kristen said, shaking her head. "I don't feel like I can trust my judgment anymore, but … there's more than that. He's … done some things that scare me … some terrible things, and so have I … The whole situation's gotten really out of control, and I still want the relationship to work out okay, but … I don't know if it really can, or if I'm just desperate for something to actually work out the way it's supposed to for once."

Deidre turned sideways on the couch, facing Kristen her arm up on the back of the couch. "What do you like about him?" Deidre asked.

"Well, he's brilliantly smart," she said. "It's like he finds everything fascinating all the time. And he really is sweet … He does all of these little things that he doesn't have to do … I'm really not used to that."

"Little things like what?" Deidre asked, looking honestly curious about Kristen's new boy toy.

"Well," she said. "He likes to make dinner … and incidentally he happens to be amazing at it. He brings me coffee at work sometimes. He says these nice little things, he lets me play his video games … He's just very considerate."

"Call this my own curiosity …. How is he in bed?" She asked a slight smile coming over her face at how Kristen's expression changed when she talked about this Ed guy.

Kristen blushed profusely. "He's … he's good," she stammered. "Though he's …um ... a lot bigger than I'm used to, so … Still getting accustomed to that."

"What's with the blush Kristen. We used to talk about things like this all the time." She said smiling as she nudged her playfully. "Though I have to say, it's been a long time since I've seen that look on your face. You lost that look around the time you started dating that Flask guy. I'm glad it's back."

Kristen smiled. "I really like Edward a lot," she said, then sighed. "And … overall, things have been good so far, though it hasn't been that long yet, so …" she shrugged. "I just … hope it can stay that way. I keep wondering if this is it, if this is where it starts to go bad." She shook her head, her eyes tearing up slightly, "I just … maybe I'm rationalizing, just like I did before, but … I'm convinced that we have something good, and I don't want to lose that."

"Then maybe you do have something good. If you don't want to lose that, then maybe have a talk with him. Wait until things calm down, and sit and talk. Like you said he was attacked right? By a family member? So maybe he was just stressed. He didn't hurt you through this did he?" She asked concerned. "Did he take his anger out on you at all?"

"No," she said quickly. "No, he didn't hurt me. Though …" She hesitated, then shook her head. "There's something I definitely need to talk to him about."

"It sounds like there's a lot you two need to talk about. How long have you two been together?"

"About three weeks now," said Kristen. "But we've been working together for over a year … I didn't really start getting to know him until lately, though. Again, he was kind of awkward and not as direct as I was used to, so it took me awhile to figure out that he was even interested."

Deidre nodded. "So I take it then he's a bit on the nerdy side? Hey, Nerds can be cute." She said with a laugh. "So here's the big question. Situation today aside … You said he has some kind of mental illness. Even if today was a one time thing … Is that something you're willing to deal with? What kind of illness does he have? Is he on meds?"

Kristen shook her head. "He isn't on meds … I brought up maybe getting help, but he seemed insulted and upset by the idea, so I didn't push it. He … um …" She paused, looking seriously at Deidre. "You know this is just between us, right?"

She trusted Deidre, or she wouldn't have been talking to her about any of this in the first place. But Edward had told her about his condition in confidence, and she needed reassurance that it wasn't going to get out because of her.

"Of course." Deidre said nodding. "Who would I tell?"

"Right," Kristen sighed. "Well, it's … He says he hears this voice sometimes. And sometimes sees this … other self. Apparently he says some pretty nasty things. But Edward says it's mostly when he's angry or stressed … He says it doesn't happen much when he's around me." She shrugged, glancing down uncomfortably. "It's … not his fault. And I like to think I'll be able to handle it … Lord knows I've put up with worse things. But I've never actually seen him in the middle of an episode, not that I'm aware of anyway, so I don't know if I'd actually know what to do."

"Maybe you should talk to him about seeing a doctor again. That sounds like it could be very dangerous." She said, now worried about her friend. "In the meantime perhaps just …. Be cautious …. Watch his behaviour look for anything unusual?" She said quietly. "I don't know …. I've never dealt with anyone like that before. But if you haven't noticed anything yet it sounds like he's really good at hiding it. Which isn't good either."

Kristen nodded, her eyes tearing up again. "It's … I mean … He still seems pretty in control. He at least seems to know it's not real, it's just in his head … I think it scares him. I don't think he's dangerous to me, I really don't, but …" She hesitated. Maybe she shouldn't bring this up, with how worried Deidre already was. But it kept gnawing at her. "He did something, trying to protect me that … really bothered me."

Deidre looked at her. "He … Did something." She repeated her. "I take it this is that family member that attacked him." She said shifting nervously on the couch. "Did he ….. Did he kill him?" Deidre asked. She'd never seen Kristen this shook up, even with Flask. She hoped she was wrong but she figured to start at the worse case scenario and work her way up. Given the situation, it seemed most likely.

"What?" Kristen flinched, her face stark white. Had it been that easy to piece that together? What else could Deidre figure out if she kept talking like this? "That's not… I… I wasn't going to say that."

Deidre watched her for a moment, seeing the sudden fear in her face. "Kristen, calm down." She said putting her hand on Kirsten's arm. "Anything you tell me will stay with me."

Of course it would stay with Deidre … unless Deidre thought Edward was a danger to her. Unless she got desperate enough to bring someone else in for Kristen's own good. But if Kristen was the one who would be incriminated, there was no way she'd say anything about it. How had she even gotten to a point where she was thinking like this? Everything seemed so out of control and crazy. "Again, I didn't say that," Kristen repeated. "Though …" she looked down at the floor. "When he … when he was attacking Edward, I was afraid that he might kill him, and I couldn't get him to stop, and I …"

She couldn't finish that thought. It wasn't entirely untrue. Edward might have finished him off, but she'd fatally wounded him anyway. She'd still stabbed a man. Deidre didn't need to know the rest. "God, everything's just so messed up," she whispered. Her hands were shaking, and her throat felt tight.

Deidre's eyes widened in shock. She killed him then? That must have been a crazy situation for Kristen to have done that, she couldn't imagine Kristen hurting anyone intentionally. "Kristen …" She said taking her shaking hands in hers. "If it was as bad as you say it was, then I'm sure you did the right thing." She said pulling her into a hug. "It'll be okay." She didn't bother asking how it was taken care of. She doubted they would have called the police, if they had then she wouldn't be sitting here right now, she'd be at the GCPD getting questioned. What ever had happened clearly shook her up, and explained why she'd called her. She needed someone to talk to. She ran her hand through Kristen's hair as she'd used to do all those months ago. "It'll be okay. Everything will work out." She said, though she wasn't sure if that was true. What if they were caught? What if Kristen went to jail? The thought terrified her, but she couldn't think of that right now.

Kristen held Deidre tight, as if that was the only thing keeping her from falling apart. She was sobbing uncontrollably again, and felt stupid for it, but there was still a sense of relief now that she'd told Deidre such a large part of what was bothering her, and Deidre had just accepted it. "I don't know how anything can possibly go back to normal after this," she admitted. "Everything's so complicated now and I don't know what to do."

"Do you know how he feels about all this?" Deidre asked. "You said it was one of his family members. Is he mad at you for this?" She asked, still holding onto Kristen. It was a really messed up situation and she really didn't know what to do, but she knew Kristen needed someone here with her and she was more than willing to just sit and talk, hear her out.

Kristen shook her head. "No," she said. "I mean, he hasn't seemed mad, anyway." Though she wondered, now, if maybe he was and just didn't say anything. "I'm sure he would have done the same thing." She knew it for a fact. "He ran away from home when he was young just to get away from him … I've seen the scars …" she shivered slightly. "It's still family, so I'd understand if he was mad, but … He didn't seem angry at me at all."

Deidre didn't know what to say as she sat there holding Kristen. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Deidre spoke up again. "Do you want me to stay tonight?" She asked, knowing if she was in her position she wouldn't want to be alone.

Kristen looked up at Deidre and nodded. "Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked.

"Not at all," Deidre said kissing her head before getting up and moving into the kitchen to make them both some hot chocolate.


	12. Chapter 12

Ed sighed as he tossed the syringe back onto the tray and sat down at the kitchen staring at Oswald. He had to admit he was fascinated by the man that was laying in his bed, but at the same time absolutely terrified. It was thrilling really.

Kristen hesitated a moment. Maybe she should have called before she came over. She knocked softly at the door, and waited.

Edward looked up at the door, his entire body going numb as he looked at Oswald. He walked over to the door and opened it a crack. He let go of the breath he'd been holding when he saw it was Kristen and opened the door to let her in.

Kristen looked up at him apologetically. "Is this an okay time?" she asked as she came in. She glanced over at the bed, where Cobblepot was resting in a deep sleep, sporting some nasty bruises. He didn't appear to be in much better condition than when they'd found him. "How's he doing?"

"He's still really weak but he'll live. I removed the bullet from his shoulder and stitched up the wound. He should be fine in a few days." He said picking up the tray with the medical supplies and moving it into the kitchen out of the way.

"That's good," she said, following him into the kitchen, feeling an awkwardness between them that hadn't been there two days ago. "That he'll be okay, I mean."

"Yeah." Edward said quietly as he leaned against the counter. "How are you?" Edward asked nervously.

"I'm …" she said hesitantly, looking back at him. "Okay, I guess. Still pretty overwhelmed by all of this … And I'm sorry if I snapped at you last night … I was just scared and tired and confused about what to do next."

"It's okay … We were both stressed and … Said and did some stuff we probably shouldn't have." He said staring down at the floor.

"I'm … still not sure where we stand now," she admitted. "I really don't know if things can go back to normal between us, but … I'm willing to try to find out if you are."

"I'd do anything to keep …. Whatever we can going …. I mean …." Edward sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, his eyes tearing up. "I don't want to lose you over this."

Kristen went over and put her arms around him. "Same here," she said softly. "We've both been through a lot and done a lot over the past couple of days, but … I don't think most of it has to reflect on our relationship." She'd been thinking it over and, whether it was wishful thinking or desperation, that was the conclusion she had reached.

Edward looked at her as she wrapped her arms around him, surprised that she was even touching him, let alone …. Let alone saying they were still in a relationship …. That she wanted to be in a relationship with him.

"It … Really?" Edward asked bringing his hand up and wiping the tear that was falling down his cheek before another ran down his other cheek.

"Oh Edward," she whispered, reaching up and gently wiping the remaining tear from his face. "Yes, really. It's all a big mess, but it's not really your fault, we both just did what we could, and … most of it doesn't have anything to do with us being together, but…" She was quiet for a moment, before she continued. "If … if we're going to move forward from this, there's … some things you should know about me … It'll explain some of how I reacted and … I think I'd feel safer in the future if you knew."

Edward nodded. "Of course … You can tell me anything. I'm all ears." He said quietly.

"It's…" Kristen sighed. She took a deep breath, before continuing in a quiet voice. "My mother, when she was pissed off or … or just didn't want to deal with me, she um … used to lock me in a room … Sometimes for … for just a few hours, sometimes longer." She swallowed, glancing down at the floor, trying to stop shaking. She hated talking about this, but if Edward didn't know, then she would never feel completely sure that it wouldn't happen again. "And … when I was with Dougherty," she said, barely above a whisper. "He … he figured out that it bothered me, and … he used to threaten to…"

Edward immediately knew why Kristen was so upset. Why she'd tried for the fire escape. Edward's eyes watered, having been through his own share of abuse he knew how much he must have terrified her. He hadn't meant to. He was just trying to protect her … He'd failed miserably by letting her go with him to dispose of the body but …. "I'm so sorry." He said pulling her into a hug. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry." He said sounding more sincere than he ever had been.

Kristen held him tight, clinging to the hope that now that this was out in the open, she would be able to feel safe with him again, the way she had before. She wanted that feeling back so badly, and she still didn't know if she'd ever be able to find it again. She hid her face against his shoulder as the tears started to fall. "I … I wanted to say something sooner, but …something else always…" her throat tightened, and she took a shaky breath before looking up at him. "Promise me," she said quietly. "Now that … now that you know, it won't happen again. No matter what else is happening, no matter what you think you're protecting me from, you will never do that to me again."

"Never. I promise. I …. I shouldn't have even done it in the first place I just … Panicked. But … I should have trusted you to stay down there, make the call for yourself but … I just …. I didn't want you to see that." He said shaking his head. "Though I suppose it makes no difference, you did exactly what I did the next day … Which … I wish you hadn't …" He said quietly.

Kristen shook her head. "No one should have to see that, Ed," she pointed out. "Even if you've seen it enough times now that you're used to it… But by that point, we were both involved. And… I won't pretend that...um... taking care of that was easy." It was possible that she might have thrown up at some point during the process. "But… between that and being locked up somewhere alone, unable to decide what to do … I almost preferred it." Almost. It was still horrible, when she thought about it. What she'd done … She looked up at Edward tentatively. "Do ... you think less of me for that?"

"No. I could never think less of you." He said. "What you did was … Amazing really. I'll be honest the first time I saw a dismembered body I threw up at least three times." He said making an exaggerated disgusted face at the memory. "And I'd still rather go through that than a lot of what I had in the past."

"Well," Kristen admitted, unable to help smiling a little that Edward thought she'd done something amazing. "My stomach wasn't exactly happy with the situation either." She felt like she and Edward somehow better understood each other now.

"I'm sure there's no way you beat my record of three." He said trying to make light of the situation. "Still … I'm amazed you did it. It was …. Brave. Perhaps that's not the right word but … Something along those lines."

Kristen blushed slightly, adjusting her glasses. "I just did what needed to be done." She really hadn't expected to be able to go through with it. She still couldn't fully wrap her head around it, though she had to admit there had been a certain thrill in the suspense, wondering the whole time if they were going to be caught… Still, she was glad the whole thing was over.

"I know. But I'm proud of you." He said with a slight smile before leaning down to kiss her. She had done far more than he ever expected her too. Even if he hadn't wanted her to do it …. She had, and he was impressed.

Kristen paused in surprise before leaning into his kiss, holding him close, relieved that the tension between them seemed resolved. It looked like maybe they could make things work after all… and if they'd managed to get through these horrible past couple of days, then maybe there was nothing left that could come between them.

Edward was glad when she leaned in, his hands going to her hips as he deepened the kiss. He turned them both until she was between him and the counter, his body gently leaning into hers as he kissed her.

Kristen was surprised by the sudden intensity in his kiss … She hadn't really expected it, given what they'd just been talking about. But even though she hadn't been far from him in the past couple of days, she'd missed him. Edward must have felt the same way too. She ran her hands over his shoulders, down his back, enjoying the closeness that they'd been missing.

Edward's hands tightened on her slightly, his hips pressing her back against the counter as he felt his cock start to swell in his pants. He broke the kiss and started moving his lips over her neck.

Kristen sighed, shivering slightly as Edward started to kiss down her neck, surprised to feel Edward's cock harden as he pressed against her. "Edward," she murmured in a half-hearted protest. "There's a mob boss right over there … In your bed … Is this really the time?"

"He's sedated." Edward muttered against her neck. "He won't wake up for hours." He said nipping at the soft flesh of her neck and pulling her against him.

"Still a little awkward," she stammered, though she couldn't bring herself to pull away. This was the most forward Edward had ever been. He'd never initiated things so directly before. But it was strange with Oswald Cobblepot himself occupying Edward's bed just across the room. And what if he did wake up? Not that there was anyone for Cobblepot to tell about it, but it would still be incredibly awkward.

"Then let's go downstairs." He said nipping at her ear though he was becoming a little less sure of himself. Maybe she just wasn't interested. Still, she did seem to enjoy it when he was a bit forceful. "I want you …" He said kissing her neck again, his voice almost a growl. "Don't tell me you don't want me to bend you over the pool table … We'd both know you're lying."

Kristen's eyes widened. "So forceful…" she smiled up at him, running her hand through his hair. "If you insist…"

Edward took her hand in his, a wide grin on his face as he lead her to the stairs. He let go of her hand as he descended, with how narrow the stairs where they were already dangerous enough as it was.

Kristen followed Edward eagerly down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, she wrapped her arms around him again, kissing him passionately.

Edward moaned into the kiss, his hand moving down her side before he broke the kiss and turned her toward the pool table. He pinned her against it, bending her over the table with his hand against her upper back, the bulge in his pants pressing against her through her skirt.

Kristen gasped as Edward bent her over the table, thrilled by how in control he suddenly was. It had been hard to keep her self esteem up when Edward never initiated things himself. She'd just started to accept that he just wasn't the dominant type …

Edward smirked when he got no protest from her. He ran his hand up her leg, hiking her skirt up until it was above her ass. He looked down at her as he moved her panties to the side, before kneeling down behind her.

Kristen shivered with anticipation as Edward's hand moved up her leg, moving against him slightly as he moved her panties to the side.

Edward ran his finger over her, surprised to feel how wet she was. She was already enjoying this and he hadn't even touched her yet.

"Someone's a bit naughty." He said rubbing his fingers against her.

Kristen moaned as Edward's fingers rubbed against her. "You started it," she reminded him with a sly smile.

"Mmm yes but I wasn't expecting you to be this wet. I barely even touched you." He said moving forward, his tongue playing over her, tasting her.

Kristen gasped as she felt Edward's tongue move over her. "I… I can't help it," she said. "You're just so… assertive right now."

"Is that what you like?" He asked taking his mouth off of her only long enough to talk before moving back onto her again, his tongue pushing inside her.

Kristen moaned as Edward's tongue pressed into her. "Yes," she gasped, blushing.

"I shall make a mental note of that then." He said standing up behind her and shoving three fingers into her tight wet hole. He bent over her as he fingered her, leaving kisses along her upper back. "Tell me what you want Kristen."

Kristen gasped as Edward's fingers thrust up into her, and she pushed back against him. "I … I want you to fuck me," she said, blushing profusely. She'd never used that kind of language with Ed before. But then, he'd never been like this with her before either. "Right here against the table."

"Really?" He whispered huskily in her ear. "And if I refuse?" He asked nipping the lobe of her ear, his fingers moving faster inside of her. He had no intentions of refusing her, his cock was already straining painfully against his pants begging for attention.

Kristen moaned as Edward's fingers moved faster inside her, and she pushed back hard against him in time to his movements. "Y … you don't really seem like you're planning on it," she said breathlessly.

"I didn't ask you if I was planning on refusing … I asked you what you would do if I refused." He said slowing the movements of his hand to a very, painfully slow, pace.

Kristen whimpered in protest as Edward's fingers slowed to a teasing pace, and she kept pushing back against him, trying to get him to speed up again. "I … I'd be very disappointed," she admitted. "But please, Edward, you wouldn't be so cruel, would you?"

"That depends." Edward said, nearly pulling his fingers all the way out and teasing her entrance. "How badly you want my cock."

Kristen moaned softly. "More than ever," she said. And she was more certain now than ever before that he wanted her too. "Please, Edward, I need you."

Edward smirked as he shoved his fingers back into her. "Actions speak louder than words my love." He said pressing his clothed erection against her hip as he kept moving his fingers into her over and over again.

Kristen shivered slightly at his words, moaning softly as she moved back against him as his fingers moved inside her, her hip rubbing up against his hardened cock. "What should I do to show you, then?" she asked.

Edward didn't still his hand as she moved against him making him moan into her ear. "I want to watch you come."

Kristen moved back against him harder, driving his fingers in deeper as she rubbed against his cock, excited just by hearing him moan. "That … shouldn't be too difficult," she said breathlessly. Everything he was doing just felt so good …

"Shouldn't be too difficult?" He asked changing the angle he was thrusting into her at. "Then perhaps I should try harder." He said, his free hand moving over her back down to her ass before spanking her.

Kristen yelped in surprise as he spanked her, and she moaned as the angle of his fingers changed, leaning against the pool table and pushing back against him harder as he thrust into her.

Edward moved his free hand to his pants and pulled the button open, struggling a bit with the zipper as he moved behind her, his fingers still moving inside of her as she pushed against his hand. He wanted her so badly ….

Kristen moaned as Edward's fingers continued to move in and out of her, her eyes closing as she felt the sensation building. "God, Edward…" she murmured.

Edward shoved his underwear out of the way, pulling his shaft out of his pants as he looked down at her, watching his fingers moving. He stroked his cock as she writhed on the table. He knew she was close.

Kristen kept moving against him, moaning as his fingers moved inside her, wanting and needing him more as she got closer. "I'm going to come Ed." She moaned.

Edward smiled as he pulled his fingers out of her, gripping his shaft with his wet fingers. He stroked himself a few times before he pushed the tip against her slick opening.

Kristen groaned in frustrated protest as Edward withdrew his fingers, but then she felt the tip of Edward's cock against her opening, and pushed back against him with a soft moan.

Edward pushed his hips forward, his cock slipping into her inch by inch. "God Kristen …" Edward moaned through clenched teeth. He still couldn't believe how tight she was.

Kristen moaned as Edward pushed slowly further inside her, and she moved back against him as he did. Though she knew it was best to go slowly, as big as he was, she wanted desperately to feel him thrust deep inside her.

Edward moved his cock further into her, until he was halfway in. He slowly pulled out again, groaning as she clenched around him. He closed his eyes as he started shallowly thrusting into her, careful not to go too far in, scared he would hurt her.

Kristen gasped, feeling some discomfort as Edward made it farther in, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to get in any deeper tonight. But at the same time, the feeling was intense in a way that wasn't unpleasant. She appreciated when he pulled back and then moved back in with shallow thrusts, and she wondered if it was frustrating for him not to be able to get all the way inside her yet. She was still for a moment after the initial discomfort started, but then began to push back against him again encouragingly.

Edward panted as he slowly started to speed up his thrusts, risking a few times pushing in just a little deeper before pulling out again. He ran his hands over her back, moving them down to her soft cheeks and spanking her again as he moved against her.

Kristen moaned, moving against him in time to his thrusts as he quickened the pace, gasping as she felt him thrust in deeper, the discomfort not fully subsiding, but somehow adding to the intensity. "Edward," she moaned as her hands clenched into fists against the pool table, and she tensed, her inner walls tightening around him as pleasure overcame her.

Ed hissed as she came around him. She was already tight to begin with, her clenching around him like that was borderline uncomfortable … He watched her as she writhed on the table, slowing his thrusts a moment until she relaxed on the table. He picked up his thrusts again, his hands going to the cushion rails of the table on either side of her hips.

Kristen felt amazing as she relaxed, coming down from her orgasm, still panting for breath as she started pushing back against Edward again as his cock thrust in and out of her.

Ed leaned over her, nipping her ear as he kept moving inside her. "Is that what you wanted?" He asked shifting his cock inside of her.

Kristen nodded, pushing back against him as she felt his cock move inside her. "Yes," she said breathlessly, still loving how in charge Edward was. "You're amazing, Edward."

Edward looked down at her, a slight thrill going through him. He'd never been told he was even remotely good, let alone amazing. He'd had a lot of complaints that he was too big … Too thick, but … Kristen seemed to enjoy it. Even seemed to like when he pushed just a little too far.

He briefly wondered if he could last long enough to make her come again.

Kristen glanced back over her shoulder at him, and was a little overwhelmed by the way that he was looking at her. She couldn't remember ever feeling this wanted before. It was an intoxicating feeling. She moved back against him a little more, wanting to make him feel as good as he had just done for her.

Edward thrust into her a few more times before he pulled out of her, taking a step back. "Come here." He said holding his hand out to her, and stepping back again, his hard cock jutting out from his body.

Kristen pushed herself up from the table, straightening, her skirt falling back into place as she turned to face him. She smiled up at him as she took his hand and stepped toward him.

He lead Kristen over to the couch and pushed her back onto it. He knelt on the floor next to her, his hands going under her skirt to her panties, pulling them off and tossing them onto the floor.

"I guess those are unnecessary," Kristen smirked, running a hand through Edward's hair as she looked down at him curiously, wondering what he planned on doing next. The pool table had been fun and exciting, but the couch was admittedly more comfortable.

He moved up onto the couch, moving her skirt back up. He pushed his fingers back into her before he lowered his mouth onto her.

"Oh," Kristen gasped in surprise, leaning back on the couch, her fingers threading through Edward's hair. "Y-you don't have to…" He'd already been considerate enough to make her come once. Surely he didn't think she expected more?

Edward moved his hands up to her arms, sliding them down to her wrists and pulled her hands away from his head, holding them against the couch as he ate her out.

She moaned, her eyes closing as Edward's tongue moved over her. Her hips moved forward slightly, finding it difficult to keep still even with her wrists pinned against the couch.

He let go of her wrists, his hands going to her hips. He closed his eyes and moaned as he pushed his tongue into her.

"God, Edward," she moaned softly, reaching down and running her fingers lightly through his hair. He really was amazing at this, and after he'd already made her come once, she was more sensitive than before. Everything he did felt unbearably good.

He shivered as she ran her hands through his hair, her actions practically begging him not to stop. He looked up at her as he pleasured her, watching the expressions on her face.

Kristen's hips rolled forward slightly in response to what Edward was doing, and she moaned with heightened need as his tongue moved over her.

Edward loved watching her like this. Moving under his mouth and fingers like she couldn't get enough. He rubbed his fingers against her, pushing three fingers into her as he sucked on her clit, his fingers curling slightly as he moved them inside her.

A whimper escaped Kristen's throat, and her back arched as she felt Edward's fingers curve inside her. "Don't stop," she moaned, her hands running feverishly through Edward's hair.

Edward chuckled low in his throat at her words, his fingers pushing deeper into her.

"Edward," she gasped, the intense sensation building relentlessly. "I-I'm going to…" Her inner walls clenched around his fingers as she came again.

He smiled as she came for the second time that night. He hummed happily as he climbed back over her, the tip of his cock pressing against her nudging her.

Kristen looked up at him breathlessly, her hands running down his sides before tugging at Edward's sweater, trying to pull it off of him.

Edward sat up from her, untucking his shirt and pulling his tie loose. He pulled it all off in one quick motion and threw it onto the floor before he moved back onto her quickly, as if he couldn't get back to her quick enough. He kissed her passionately as he prodded against her.

Kristen wrapped her arms around Edward as he moved back over her, her hands running over his back, her hips moving forward against him as his cock prodded against her.

He moaned against her mouth as he pushed into her once again, moving against her slowly as he deepened each thrust.

Kristen slipped her tongue into Edward's mouth as she returned his kiss enthusiastically, her hands moving up his back and over his shoulders, to run lightly through his hair, her hips still moving steadily against him, a muffled moan escaping her as his thrusts deepened.

He moved his tongue against hers as he quickened his thrusts, careful not to push in too deep. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he moved his body against hers. "God Kristen …" He moaned, his breathing starting to become more laboured.

Kristen's hands moved down Edward's back again, holding him close against her as her hips pushed back against him, kissing feverishly down his neck, shivering slightly as he moaned her name.

"Kristen … I …" He moaned as he thrust into her faster, feeling his orgasm building but at the same time wondering if she wanted him to pull out. They weren't using a condom this time like they had their first. "I'm going to come." He panted.

Kristen groaned as Edward thrust into her, not wanting it to stop … Hazily, she remembered that they weren't using a condom. She'd definitely taken her birth control pill, though. After a few scares with previous boyfriends who weren't as considerate as Edward, she'd been sure to make that precaution into a relentless habit whenever she was in a relationship. There was no doubt in her mind that, if she said the word, Edward would pull out. Even if he didn't need to, knowing that made her feel safe with him somehow. She held him tighter. "It's okay," she murmured, and kissed him.

He leaned forward and kissed her thrusting into her a few more times before he felt himself tense with pleasure, his orgasm spilling over as he came inside of her with a soft groan. He broke the kiss, his eyes closed as he shivered with the force of his orgasm.

Kristen gasped, wincing slightly in discomfort as he thrust further into her, but she still enjoyed the intensity as he came inside her. She held him close, kissing him back passionately, her hands running lightly through his hair as he shivered against her.

He relaxed against her, his breathing still heavy but slowing slightly as he looked down at her. "Still think we shouldn't have done that?" He asked with a slight smile.

Kristen laughed a little breathlessly. "I have to admit, that was a pretty good idea."

"Can I ask you a question?" Edward asked, still lying on top of her, his cock softening inside of her, his fingers of one hand playing with the tips of her hair.

"Of course," Kristen said, looking up at him curiously.

"Why …" Ed paused as he pulled out of her though he remained on top of her, feeling odd asking this question. Perhaps it wasn't the appropriate time. "Why do you enjoy it when I'm forceful?" He asked quietly.

Kristen blushed. "I … I don't know," she said, feeling embarrassed, uncertain how to put it into words. "I guess … it just makes me feel needed. When you make it that decisively clear what you want, I don't have to wonder."

"You should never wonder how much I want you. Ever." Ed said quietly. "I love you. And if I have to prove to you every day of my life how much I need you … Then I'll do it."

Kristen smiled, still blushing, overwhelmed by his words. But she wondered now, about her own feelings for Edward. It still seemed too soon to tell, and her track record reflected a seriously flawed judgment. Yet after everything that had happened in just a couple of short days, after everything she had stayed through, she couldn't help but wonder. Could it be love that had kept her here through all of that? Better to think over the matter later. She could only think so clearly with Edward looking at her like that.

"Still…" she stammered, a little taken aback. "It's nice to have the reminder sometimes."

Edward smiled. "I like to think that I remind you in other ways ... " He said leaning down and kissing her. "Although, I did enjoy this." He said kissing her again. "Perhaps next time we'll manage to get your shirt off …" He said with a chuckle, realizing they were both still half dressed, Kristen in her shirt, him with his pants mostly still on.

"Next time, hmm?" Kristen smiled up at him, running a hand through his hair. "I like the sound of that."

Edward laughed slightly. "Not any time soon. I think you just sucked me dry after that last go. I won't be able to get it up for at least another week." He said with dramatic flourish of his hand as he laid next to her, the back of his hand going to his forehead as if he were just utterly exhausted.

"A whole week?" Kristen laughed at his melodramatic gesture. "How can I possibly wait that long?" she snuggled close against him.

"Alriiiiiight," he said as if he were exasperated. "I'll bring it down to six days …. Any sooner and you'll have to make a compelling argument." He said with a slight chuckle as he put his arm around her.

Kristen kissed Edward on the cheek. "I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something," she said.

"Well I have no doubt about that." He said with a smile.


	13. Chapter 13

The next day at work, Kristen was swamped with new crime scene reports that needed to be filed away, as well as officers coming in asking for files every ten minutes or so. She was sorting through the mess some impatient detective had made of one of the filing cabinets, when she heard Jim and Harvey talking outside.

"Still nothing on the Penguin?"

Kristen paused what she was doing, listening intently.

"Nothing," Jim confirmed. He sounded tense and weary, which as far as Kristen could tell, was the usual state of things.

"We have to find him before he does something stupid Jim." Bullock said, rubbing his hand over his beard. "Galavan killed the guy's mother in front of him … He wasn't exactly stable to begin with could you imagine what he's capable of now? Look at what he did the other night!"

Jim shook his head grimly. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried something else again already," he said. "He's been capable enough of biding his time in the past, but lately?" He sighed. "You saw him. That's not a man who's thinking things through."

In the next room, Kristen stared down unseeingly at the file in her hands as the words hit her. Cobblepot's … mother had been killed in front of him? No wonder. No wonder he'd been tearing Gotham apart. No wonder the city was in chaos. Pity stung at her sharply. The poor man … He had seemed so frail and helpless, unconscious in Edward's apartment. And to think, there was no one else really on his side … Who would care about getting justice for the Penguin? It was strange. She'd never really thought about Oswald Cobblepot having a mother.

"Has anyone located her body yet?" Bullock asked crossing his arms over his chest. "It's a pity … I mean I don't like the guy but … His mother was a very kind lady. I liked her. She didn't deserve that."

"No," Jim said quietly. "She didn't."

Kristen needed to get ahold of Edward as soon as possible. She wondered if he knew about this. If Cobblepot wasn't terribly coherent just yet, Edward might not even be aware that he had a grieving man on his hands. He'd need help with that. The physical wounds he could patch up without too much trouble, but this? She didn't think Edward was equipped to handle this.

Edward gathered the left over bandages. After Oswald had collapsed on the floor he'd had to drag him back to bed and change his bandages again. He yawned as he put the scraps into the garbage and pushed the tray to the side.

With Oswald once again out Edward had some time to relax, since he got there he hadn't gotten much sleep. In fact, he realized he'd been wearing the same clothes for a little too long.

Kristen arrived outside of Edward's door, having gone straight there after work. She raised her hand to knock, and then thought better of it. He'd been startled enough last time, as any sensible person harboring a fugitive would be. So she called his phone instead to let him know it was her.

Edward heard his phone vibrate and answered it to discover Kristen was at the door. Smart girl. Perhaps they should do that for what remained of Oswald's stay, however long that may be. He moved to the door and click it open, sliding the other lock out of place as well since he'd had another installed that morning.

He stepped aside to let her. "Kristen, hi." He said with a smile, relieved to no longer be alone with the current situation. Even though it wasn't really fair to her to have to deal with this, he did admit he would like the help.

"Hey," Kristen said, kissing him on the cheek as she walked into the apartment, closing the door behind her. She glanced over at the bed, where Cobblepot appeared to be in a deep sleep, though his expression looked troubled somehow, as if the pain of his waking hours hadn't really left him. As far as she could tell, he didn't look like he was in much better shape than when she'd last seen him.

"Has he been awake at all?" she asked, looking up at Edward.

"Yes, he woke up briefly." He said quietly. "He tried leaving and passed out so I had to drag him back to the bed and rebandage him. I don't think he'll try again. He should understand the severity of his injuries by now."

Kristen looked pityingly over at the unconscious man. Of course he'd tried to leave … He didn't know where he was or who he was with, and he had to know that there were people after him. "I don't know," she said. "He'd have to be pretty stubborn to be king of Gotham … He may try again." She hesitated for a moment, before she said: "I … heard Jim and Bullock talking this morning. Did … did Cobblepot say anything about what happened to his mother?"

"Yeah … She was killed. He said he lost her but didn't specify how. I'd assume with everything going on it was Galavan who killed her. He's given up." He said quietly as he moved to the counter to put a pot of water on to boil. "He's given up. He told me if I was planning on killing him to get it over with. Said it would be more than welcomed." He said as he turned the stove on and sat back down at the table. "I told him about the people I killed … He seemed to find it funny … But I doubt he really cared. It didn't even seem to phase him. Then again he did grow up in Gotham so … Perhaps it's not so shocking. He doesn't know me."

"You told him …?" Kristen started, shocked, before she decided to drop it. Who was the Penguin going to tell, anyway? She sighed, going over to the table to sit with Edward. She'd been on her feet all day. "That … doesn't sound surprising. That he's given up, I mean. Apparently, Galavan had her killed in front of him. I get the impression they were close."

"Yes, he's extremely distressed by this." He said leaning back in his chair and tapping his finger against the table. "It makes me wonder what's going to happen to him after this. We saved him, for what? He'll either go to jail, or be killed by Galavan … He has no one to help him."

"This is Gotham," she said drily. "I doubt going to jail would save him from Galavan." She thought over the situation. What had been the point of killing the man's mother? What purpose could that possibly have served, other than sheer cruelty? If someone was actually lucky enough to have a decent relationship with their parents, everyone else should at least have the decency to leave them alone. She couldn't even imagine that kind of loss, or how a person could manage to come back from it. "Maybe…" she said. "We could help him get back on his feet again, somehow? Even if nothing else motivates him, surely he'll want revenge?"

Edward looked up at her. Was she implying what he thought she was implying? "Revenge?" He asked. "He doesn't even seem motivated enough for that. He seems pretty prepared to lie down and take whatever comes to him … But perhaps if he was provided with the opportunity …" He said as he heard the water start to boil. He got up and threw the package of soup into the water, adding in some leftover cut up chicken and some vegetables that were in a container from last night's dinner. Once he was done he came back to the table but didn't sit down. "I think I may have an idea." He said moving over to the bed where Oswald lay sleeping. Edward prepared a syringe and jabbed it into Oswald's neck, despite his request not to sedate him again. "Would you mind watching him for a few hours? He won't wake up, but in case something happens, you can call me."

"Alright," Kristen said, a little perplexed at Edward's abrupt decision to go out. "Where are you going, though?" she asked.

"No idea." Edward said as he grabbed his coat. "GCPD first …" He said. "The soup will be done in about ten minutes. If you could take if off. If you haven't had supper yet by all means have some, but if you could put the rest in the fridge that would be great. Thanks." He said kissing her on the cheek before leaving the apartment.

"Um… alright," she said, more confused than ever. She was a little worried that he wouldn't say why he had to leave. And she felt a little weird about hanging around here alone with Oswald Cobblepot, even if he was unconscious … But it wasn't as if Edward was asking her to do anything really difficult. She could keep an eye on a sleeping mob boss and a pot of soup for a couple of hours, and she had a book in her purse to pass the time. She just hoped that Ed would explain where he'd been when he got back.

It was indeed a few hours before Edward got back, nearly midnight to be precise. But when he returned he was not alone. A man walked in behind him, willingly.

"Kristen. This is Leonard." He said indicating the man who was staring at Oswald in disbelief. "He works for Galavan. He's here to collect Mr. Cobblepot." He said as the man looked at Oswald in the bed, Edward standing behind him.

"Is he dead?" Leonard asked, looking annoyed. Edward looked at Oswald as he approached Kristen behind Leonard's back. Oswald was so pale and still he could look dead but no.

"He's just sedated. He'll wake up in an hour … Maybe two." Edward said before leaning closer to Kristen's ear. "You mentioned helping Mr. Penguin get revenge … What do you suggest we do with him?" He whispered to her while Leonard was too busy checking Oswald's pulse. His boss did want him alive after all.

Kristen had stared in speechless shock since the moment Leonard walked in, her mind racing to try to comprehend why Edward would bring one of Galavan's men here, what kind of game he thought he was playing, whether he had lost his mind completely … Until Edward whispered his question in her ear. Then it all became clear.

This was still a terrible idea. They couldn't just go around killing criminal masterminds' underlings. The possible consequences were unthinkable. This was crazy … But now that Edward had made up his mind to let Leonard in here, what else could they do? And watching Leonard leaning over the unconscious, helpless man, preparing to take him back to his boss … Kristen didn't have to think about who she sympathized with more.

"I think," she said very quietly, feeling an unexpected thrill once she'd made up her mind. They were past turning back now. "We should let the Penguin decide that, shouldn't we?"

Edward waited her answer, his hands pressed together in front of his mouth as if he were in prayer. As soon as she gave him her answer his grin spread ear to ear, and he clapped his hands lightly.

He moved to a silver tray on the table and picked up a syringe, quickly filling it with fluid. "Do you need help getting him out?" Edward asked, coming up behind him, the syringe prepared in his fingers.

"No that shouldn't be a problem." Leonard said standing back up from where he was leaning over Oswald.

"Good." Edward said grabbing onto him and pulling him back against his chest as he jabbed the needle into his neck, the man groaning in pain as the needle broke flesh. Edward let go of him as Leonard staggered.

"What the … What did …." Edward watched as he fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes with a loud thud.

Kristen shook her head, her arms crossed as she looked down at Leonard sprawled haphazardly on the floor. "You could have given me a head's up before bringing him here, you know," she said, though she didn't sound angry. This was quickly getting out of hand … And yet she was reacting to it less and less. She didn't know what to do about that.

"I'll be honest I wasn't planning on it when I left … But the opportunity arose …" He said bending over and hauling Leonard into a sitting position. "Can you pull out that chair?" He asked pointing to one of the chairs at the table.

"But you're sure you weren't followed?" Kristen asked, pulling over the chair Edward had indicated. "No one else knows where Leonard is?"

"Noooope." He said with a grin as he hauled Leonard into the chair. "He wanted to keep this as secret as I did … He didn't want to get into trouble for calling in false information. No one knows he's here." He said as he started to ruffle through a drawer and locating a roll of black duct tape and a burlap sac he'd used to store potatoes in previously. He put the sac over Leonard's head, pulling the string a bit tighter before holding the tape out to Kristen.

"Would you like to do the honours?" He asked.

"Are you sure you weren't planning this?" Kristen said skeptically, taking the tape and, after hesitating for a moment, starting to bind Leonard to the chair. She was already involved in this anyway, and she didn't want him getting loose and hurting Edward. "You seem a little too prepared for a spontaneous kidnapping."

Kidnapping. That's what this technically was, she realized. She was an accomplice to kidnapping one of Galavan's men. When had everything gotten this complicated? And why wouldn't that irrational thrill go away? She should be far more concerned about how insane this was.

"Well, I generally don't throw things away. So the bag was from some potatoes I bought, the duct tape is a very useful tool and comes in handy quite often, I do have to maintain an entire apartment block after all … And the sedatives were used on Oswald. I got them from work a while ago in case of an emergency." He said watching her tie up Galavan's lackey. To be honest he was a little turned on watching her do that.

"I see," Kristen said, raising an eyebrow. "So you're always prepared to give medical attention to mob bosses and kidnap lackies?" she finished taping him up and looked up at Edward. "What?" she asked, a little self-conscious about the way he was looking at her.

"Nothing." He said with a slight smile, ignoring her comment about mob bosses and lackeys. "Have I told you recently how attractive you are?" He asked leaning against the metal footboard of the bed, his hands on either side of him holding the footboard.

Kristen laughed, blushing slightly, as she straightened and walked over to him. "You have. I'm going to get quite the ego if you're not careful … Though your timing right now's a little strange." She kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Is it?" Edward asked looking down at her. "I wasn't aware there were certain times I wasn't allowed to tell my girlfriend how pretty she is. And to be honest, I'm fine with giving you an ego." He said putting his arms around her and kissing her just below the ear.

Kristen shivered slightly as Edward kissed near her ear. "I don't know," she said, running her fingers through Edward's hair. "It just seems a little awkward given present company."

"Present company?" Edward asked. "They're both out. Neither of them can hear me tell you how sexy you are." He said his hands going to her hips. "And even if they did, I doubt either would disagree."

"That's … hardly the point," she said, looking up at him. She was blushing profusely now. "It's still a little awkward."

"Why?" Edward asked, not taking his hands off of her, though he didn't hold her there. She could move away at any time, and yet she stayed.

"I don't know," she said, thinking it over. "I guess … Even though they're out cold, I can't quite forget that they're there."

"But why does it matter if they're there?" Edward asked. "Why should that matter? Unless … Are you …" Edward paused. "Are you ashamed of me?" He asked leaning away from her.

"What?" Kristen's eyes widened, alarmed that she had made him think that. "No, Edward, never." She stepped forward, closing the distance that he had created, and put her arms around him. "I just … want to have some things that are just for us, that's all."

"Well … If that's the case it won't stop me from telling you anyway. Because you are. And if I could tell every single person in the world I would." He said kissing her lightly.

"You're so sweet," she whispered after returning his kiss. It still struck her as a strange conversation to have right next to a mob boss they were harboring and a man they'd just kidnapped, but apparently, this was their life now. She wondered if things would ever go completely back to normal.

Pressing closer against him, she felt his unexpected erection pushing against her through the fabric of his pants. Her blush deepened as she looked up at him in surprise. Really? He was turned on now? "So … um …" she said a little awkwardly. There was that strange little thrill of adrenaline again. What was wrong with her? "Committing felonies together does it for you?"

"I think it's more the power trip, perhaps." He said wondering if he should be embarrassed by it. Then again, she didn't seem to mind.

"I see," she said, smiling slightly. Admittedly, it was nice to see Edward acting assertively … even if it was in a bizarre context. "Do you want to go downstairs, then?"

"No." He said before leaning down to kiss her, his tongue sliding along her lip. "I'm sick of being restricted in my own home." He said before kissing her again, his hand threading into her hair.

"Oh," Kristen said, surprised as Edward started kissing her. Nervously, she wondered how far Edward wanted to take this. Rationally, it seemed unlikely that Leonard would wake up anytime soon, and it wasn't as if he'd see anything. But it had been hours since he'd sedated Cobblepot, and the dose had to wear off eventually … Strangely, the risk of being caught was a little exciting, though she knew she'd be mortified if it actually happened. And Edward's assertiveness right now was just irresistible.

She leaned into the kiss, her hands running over his back as her body pressed against his. Her eyes closed, and she tried not to think about their unconscious guests.

Ed pushed his hips against her as he kissed her harder, his hands moving back to grab her ass and pull her closer to him.

He broke the kiss and moved his mouth to the lobe of her ear, nipping at the soft skin. "I want your mouth on me, Kristen." He whispered, his face turning red up to his ears as the words came out of his mouth.

Kristen shivered at Edward's words, still nervous at the idea of doing that here, but excited by how badly he seemed to want her. Looking up at him, she saw that he was now blushing as profusely as she was. She smiled slightly. How could she say no to that face?

"I … think I can do that," she said shyly, kissing him again before going to her knees. She hesitated, listening intently for any movement from the bed, but Cobblepot didn't so much as stir. After a moment, she reached up and started undoing the front of Edward's pants.

Edward held his breath as he watched her move down onto her knees, her head now just below level with his shaft. He sat back against the headboard again, bringing himself closer to her mouth, giving her easier access to him as she opened his pants.

Kristen looked up at Edward as she gently pulled his already hardened cock from his pants, lightly stroking its length with her hand before taking the tip into her mouth, her tongue playing teasingly across the tip.

Edward suddenly let go of the breath he'd been holding, the breath coming out a moan as she took the tip into her mouth. He closed his eyes a moment as he gripped the foot board, before looking down at her, watching her lips around his cock, her tongue playing over the head of his shaft.

"You're so good at that." He said quietly.

Thrilled at the sound of Edward's moan, Kristen took his cock further into her mouth, her tongue still moving over him as her lips moved further down the shaft.

Edward moaned again as she took him further in, his eyes staying on her, wanting to watch every moment of her sucking on his cock. He moved his hand forward and brushed her hair out of her face, holding it out of the way.

Kristen quickened her pace, continuing to take him further and further inside as her mouth moved up and down his shaft, loving the way that he reacted.

"Oh God …" Edward moaned as he felt his orgasm already starting to build. He knew he wouldn't last long, and attributed it to the adrenalin that was still coursing through him from what they had done.

Kristen kept going as Edward's cock hit the back of her throat, as far in now as she could take it without risk of gagging, and her hand went to the base of his shaft, stroking in time as she sucked, her tongue moving over him. She knew he had to be close, and his moans thrilled her so much that she forgot to care about Cobblepot waking up, forgot to be embarrassed by the two unconscious strangers in the room.

"Kristen I … I'm going to come." He said unable to stop himself from closing his eyes as her hand came up to his shaft.

Kristen looked up at him, watching the look on his face as she kept sucking at his cock, showing no sign of stopping, the shaft disappearing into her mouth over and over again.

Edward groaned, his hands clutching the footboard he was leaning against, his knuckles turning white with the force of his grip. He tensed with pleasure as he released himself inside her mouth. "Kristen." He moaned as he thrust his hips forward without even thinking, it wasn't hard, but it was enough that he pulled away from the bed.

Gagging slightly as Edward thrust forward, Kristen drew back just a little to compensate for how far forward he'd just pushed, but she didn't pull away. She kept sucking as he spilled out into her, wincing slightly at the taste, but loving the way that he moaned her name.

Once Edward calmed slightly, he let go of her hair, pulling back from her, his shaft slipping from her mouth.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly looking back down at her.

Kristen shook her head as she swallowed with a little shudder, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "It's alright," she said, smiling slightly as she looked up at him. "I … kind of liked your enthusiasm."

He held his hand down to her and helped her off the ground before kissing her. His hands fixing his pants and tucking himself away. "Would you like to take this downstairs?" He asked quietly before nuzzling her neck.

Kristen put her arms around him once she'd been pulled to her feet, leaning into his kiss. It still astounded her that he didn't mind kissing her after she'd gone down on him. She nodded, a thrill running through her as he nuzzled at her neck. She smiled. "I'd love to," she said eagerly.

"I'll hide Leonard, just in case, and I'll meet you downstairs." He dragging Leonard into a nearby closet. He couldn't believe this was happening. But before he could even make it out of the closet and Kristen could make it to the stairs there was a groan from Edward's bed and he could see Oswald raising his hand to his head as he tried to wake up.

"You sedated me again you ass hole!" Oswald grumbled though his words were hard to make out.

Well … So much for going downstairs … "No. You passed out from overexertion." He said coming up to his bed and handing Oswald the glass of water which he actually took this time.

Kristen turned around when she heard Cobblepot groan. Downstairs would just have to wait. She was blushing as she headed over toward the bed with Edward. If Oswald had started to wake up just half a minute sooner …

Glancing over at Edward, Kristen didn't contradict the lie. No doubt the Penguin had a hard enough time trusting him already.

"How are you feeling?" she asked tentatively. Everything about this situation was still so bizarre.

"Who is this?" Oswald asked. Edward jumped as if he'd been startled. That's right, Kristen hadn't been here the few times he'd woken up.

"This is Kristen. She's my girlfriend." He said with a slight smile.

"Uh-huh … So you're just telling everyone I'm here?" Oswald asked.

"Oh, no … No no." He said with a slight chuckle. "She was with me when I found you. She helped me get you into the car. So … She always knew you were here. She won't tell anyone." He said as Oswald looked at her with a scrutinizing glare.

"I don't plan on going around telling people that I'm helping to harbour a fugitive, Mr. Cobblepot," she said dryly. "If that's what you're worrying about."

Oswald sat up, turning on the side of the bed. "I doubt that would matter." He said. "Call the police, I don't care." He said making Ed look at Kristen with concern.

"No," Kristen said quietly. "We're not going to do that. I know you feel like giving up now … But after what Galavan's done, he deserves to pay. And no one else is likely to make that happen."

"And you think I can?" He asked. "Whatever I had … it's gone now. I have nothing left, and nothing to fight him with." Oswald said.

"Galavan seems to think otherwise," Kristen said. "Or everyone wouldn't be so bent on finding you. And from the police reports I've read, I got the impression that you've built an empire from nothing before. Seems a little hard to believe that you'd just give up and let him get away with it now."

"What do you know?! There is no 'empire' to take anymore! Everything I had was taken by the police! The mob I could go against, the police wouldn't do anything about that, so long as I don't cause them too much trouble … But this is the police and Galavan coming after me …. The police has my empire …. How do you expect me to take that back? I don't exactly have anyone working for me anymore."

Kristen's eyes narrowed slightly at the words 'what do you know,' but she didn't react to it otherwise. He was hurting. She understood that. "So you're done doing the impossible?" She shook her head. "Edward brought you something."

"Is it a gun? A gun would be great." Oswald said as Edward walked toward the closet.

"I didn't spend the last twenty four hours saving your life just so you could kill yourself. But perhaps this would cheer you up?" He said opening the closet and was surprised to see that Leonard was awake. Perhaps he hadn't used a large enough dose. He should have been out at least for another hour.

Well, this would just make it more fun. He pulled Leonard out and pushed him towards the end of the bed.

"Tada." Edward said as Oswald looked at him, a bored expression on his face.

"What is this?" He asked.

"This is Leonard." Edward said. "He's a gift … For you."

Oswald's expression didn't change. "And what exactly am I supposed to do with a Leonard?"

Kristen snorted at his wording. "The Leonard," she said. "Works for Galavan. He was after you. We thought maybe a little revenge might be in order."

"Oh." Edward said pausing. "I thought you would be pleased." He said pulling out a knife. "We brought him to you so you could kill him." He said handing Oswald the knife. Oswald looked at it a moment as Leonard looked around confused despite not being able to see, with a loud 'hmmm?!' ….

Oswald took the knife from Edward and walked up to the man, staring down at him. This man was nothing … He worked for Galavan sure but …. He hadn't killed his mother.

Oswald held up the knife between two fingers and let it drop to the floor before walking back to the bed. "I don't know what notion you have in your head … But stop. I told you the last time I woke up this is not a road you want to go down."

Kristen glanced over at Edward, confused by Oswald's words, but she didn't say anything about it. She sighed, watching Oswald sadly. She didn't know how to help him. Maybe right now he just needed to be left alone for a little while.

Edward watched Oswald climb back into bed and he shook his head, pulling Leonard back into the closet again. When he came back out he hears Oswald humming to himself. He took Kristen's hand. "Come on … Let's leave him alone." He said leading her downstairs.

Glancing back over her shoulder at Oswald, Kristen hesitated for a moment before following Edward downstairs. She'd never in her life seen a man look so completely broken. "He's in even worse shape than I expected," she whispered, so that only Edward could hear.


	14. Chapter 14

Ed quietly played the piano in time with the record he'd put on. Oswald had been sleeping the rest of the night, it was now morning and Kristen had returned to work. It was about time Oswald actually woke up, his wounds would be tended to well enough that he should be fine so long as he took it easy.

The song haunted Oswald in his sleep, calling up memories reaching back into the murkiest depths of his childhood… But no. That wasn't possible, he remembered, as he slowly emerged into painful awareness. His mother was gone. Gone forever, and it was his fault… His eyes blinked open, to find that strange man playing the familiar song on a piano… Had there even been a piano here before? And how had he known? How could he possibly have…

Oswald regarded him for a long moment with confused suspicion. "Why are you playing that?" Was he mocking him? Or did the lunatic actually think he was helping?

"You were humming it in your sleep. I figured it was something you found comforting." He said quietly, as he stopped playing and turned towards Oswald.

He looked down, the weight of his grief too heavy now to bear. "Every night when I was young," he heard himself saying haltingly, the memories spilling out of him. "My mother would sing that song to me, when I was going to bed." He found himself looking up at Edward. The guy was a stranger, and already seen him as weak and vulnerable as he'd ever been. It wasn't as if it mattered. Why shouldn't he talk about it? "And every time, she would tell me… 'Oswald,'" He was on the verge of tears now, his voice choking up despite his best efforts to keep it together. Her caring words echoed in his head, and he knew no one would ever talk to him that way again. "'Don't listen to the other children. … You're handsome, and clever… And someday you will be a great man.'" So much for that. He choked up at the memory, at the totality of everything he'd lost. "She said that every time… That's all I have left now." He looked up at Edward, who for some reason, was listening attentively, though he had no reason to. "Memories. And they're like daggers in my heart."

"You're lucky." Edward said quietly.

"What?" Oswald hissed, staring back at him. His first impressions had been right. This man was completely insane. "How, exactly, am I lucky?"

"Two nights ago," Edward said quietly. "My father was killed …" He said though he didn't specify by who. "And you know what I felt?" He asked, though he could tell Oswald didn't care. "Nothing …" He said. "He laid at my feet covered in blood, and I felt nothing … Once he'd been taken care of … I felt joy. Because I never had those experiences with my father. I don't have those memories … You're lucky to have had joy in your life … She sounds like a good woman."

"She was," he said quietly, shaking with the effort it took not to break down crying. "And now she's gone." All because he had failed to protect the one person in his life who had ever cared about him. She would never have been in danger in the first place if it hadn't been for him.

"I would still consider you lucky." He said. "Mr. Penguin, for some men love is a source of strength." He said getting up from the bed and moving towards the dining room table so that Oswald would not be able to leave unless he planned on climbing over the bed, in which case he'd have time to stop him. "But for you and I it will always be our most crippling weakness."

Oswald had heard just about enough of this. He was not about to let anyone tell him what to do with his own grief. Ignoring the pain of movement, he made his way clumsily to the other end of the bed and got up. "This little visit is over," he said, heading for the door. "Move aside, Ed."

"You are better off unencumbered." Edward said harshly as he stopped Oswald from leaving.

Staring up at Edward, for a moment, Edward was too angry to speak. "What did you say?" he hissed in barely above a whisper.

"You said it yourself. Your mother is dead because of your weakness." He said harshly. "But what you need to realize is your weakness … Was her!"

His words set Oswald's brittle feelings ablaze with rage. He snatched up a knife from the kitchen counter, pressing it to Edward's throat as he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him forward, trembling with fury. "My mother was a saint!" he shouted, his voice cracking with grief. "The only person who truly cared about me, and now she's gone!" How dare this pompous lunatic look down at him with his smug face and talk to him like that, talk about his mother like that… "And I have nothing left!"

Edward felt himself freeze as Oswald pressed the knife again his throat, remaining on his guard despite Oswald not killing him right away. He would need to be careful what he said, this would be crucial … For both of them.

"A man with nothing he loves … Is a man who cannot be bargained. A man who cannot be betrayed. A man who answers to no one … But himself." Edward said looking down at the short man who was shaking with anger, though he seemed to be calming. "And that … Is the man that I see before me." Ed said seriously. "A free man."

Edward's words seemed to hit him one by one, cold and hard and impossible to ignore. It struck him as a cruel, callous way to talk about the only person in his entire life who had ever loved him, or ever would. But was he really wrong? Wasn't that what he'd always wanted, to be completely invulnerable, completely in control? Wasn't that what he needed to become a great man, like his mother had always known he could be? He couldn't help thinking about what his mother would have thought if she could have heard this, if she had known the thoughts running through his head right now, if she could see what he was becoming… But she never would. He was free now to be the monster he'd always known he had to be, without worrying about breaking his mother's heart.

His trembling hands let go of Edward's shirt, and he slowly lowered the knife, looking away from him, his eyes downcast now. He didn't know how to feel anymore.

Edward watched him as he backed down, his words sinking in. He moved his hand to the blade of the knife and pulled it from Oswald's suddenly light grip. He closed the knife, and placed it into his pocket.

Still staring down at the floor, Oswald didn't bother trying to hold onto the knife, just letting Edward take it from him. After everything that had happened, he just felt so emotionally drained. But he knew now that he wouldn't be able to just give up. He was going to have to carry on, even though he'd been so sure that he couldn't, to rebuild his ruined empire from nothing. Right now, though, the thought of starting over was just overwhelming. He didn't even know where to begin this time.

"It's a little hypocritical," he said quietly, his voice calmer than before, though he still didn't raise his eyes from the floor. "Don't you think? What about your weakness?"

"I do admit I do still have a weakness. Kristen would be my weakness … As I would be hers … But I'm not the one trying to build an empire and take over the city. But we would be willing to help you do so. So no, you are not alone." I

"Well, that just solves everything, doesn't it?" Oswald said, with a slightly bitter hint of sarcasm in his voice. "An amateur killer and his girlfriend should help me take down Galavan in no time." But it was better than nothing, at least. Since he was unsure where he stood with Jim now, he would have to take what alliances he could get. Everyone had their uses, and Edward and Kristen were inexplicably stubborn about helping him. He thought he was beginning to understand Edward's twisted motivations, at least enough that he would soon be able to predict his reliability… But Kristen was still a mystery. "Why?" he said, finally looking up at Edward again. "What do you care?"

"Because I think we would be mutually beneficial to us both." He said with a slight smile. "Because we need each other. And because I think we could become the very best of friends." He said raising an eyebrow, that smirk not leaving his face.

"Perhaps," Oswald said, straightening a little. The grief still wouldn't leave him alone, but he needed to be able to push it back just enough to function. "I could use a friend."

"Well then you have one. Two if you'll accept Kristen." He said with a kind smile. "Are you hungry?" He asked. "We can order Chinese if you want."

Oswald shook his head, and opened his mouth to give his go-to response from the past couple of days, that he wasn't hungry… But his stomach growled, interrupting him. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember the last time he'd accepted food. "Actually, yes," he said, surprised at the realization. "Now that you mention it, I am pretty hungry." It was time to start getting his strength back up again… He was going to need it after all.


	15. Chapter 15

It was the first weekend since Jim had come by to collect Cobblepot for their attack on Galavan. GCPD was still abuzz with rumors, something about a cult, and about the Wayne boy being kidnapped. Galavan had mysteriously disappeared shortly thereafter … there were wild rumors about that as well. Good riddance, as far as Kristen was concerned.

Though the Penguin was far from in power again, nor had he exactly been removed from GCPD's wanted fugitives list, he was decidedly back on his feet. Or at the very least, he was out of their apartment for the most part, and apparently out busily trying to reform his connections and regain some of his criminal holdings. It was strange, feeling glad for him. But after seeing him that badly beaten down, she wondered if she would ever stop feeling sympathy for him. In any case, things were starting to calm down a little… for her and Edward, anyway. For Lee and Jim, it was another matter. Already, Kristen had started scheming to organize a baby shower for Lee. It would be a nice chance to get involved in something normal, and to help someone react to good news, for once.

She was on her way back from buying groceries, walking down the hallway to Edward's apartment, confident that she had picked up everything on Edward's abnormally specific and precise grocery list. As she neared the apartment door however, she saw it open, a woman she didn't recognize walking out and slamming it behind her without a word.

Kristen trusted Edward. Really, she did. But she couldn't help feeling a little inadequate as the strange woman stormed past her. She was taller than Kristen, for one thing, and even when she was clearly pissed off managed to walk gracefully in a pair of expensive-looking heels. She was skinnier, too. Flawless skin, flawless makeup, perfect hair, perfect everything … Kristen felt short and disheveled and dorky just looking at her. As she neared the door, she heard what sounded like a very small child laughing. Her head whipped around, looking back at the annoyingly perfect woman striding down the hallway. Was that…?

Shaking her head, Kristen knocked at the door, so distracted that, for a moment, she forgot that he'd given her a key.

Edward's response was delayed as the child squealed again. He glanced up at the door as he hung Rubix over his shoulder.

"Come in." He said sounding rather annoyed, rather than welcoming.

Kristen felt a little taken aback at Edward's clear annoyance, and hesitated a moment before she stepped inside. Did he not want her here?

"I picked up groceries," she stammered uncertainly, feeling strangely defensive, as if she suddenly needed to justify why she was here. She looked up at the giggling child draped over Edward's shoulder, and smiled shyly. "You didn't mention Rubix was coming to visit this weekend."

"Sorry, I thought you were Brittany coming back to yell at me for something else …" He said walking over to the bed, Rubix laughing upside down at Kristen, his brown hair hanging down. Ed turned so his back was to the bed, Rubix squealing as he put his hands down.

"I'm gonna drop you." Ed said letting him slide a bit.

"Noooo." Rubix squealed but kept laughing.

"I'm going to drop you." He said letting him slide a bit more until all he was holding was his ankles. "Uh oh …. I'm dropping you." He said as Rubix's hands touched the bed and he landed on the soft bed, giggling.

"Hey." He said to Kristen smiling as Rubix rolled around on the bed and climbed off the other side.

"Hi," Kristen responded, relaxing slightly. She couldn't help smiling a little, as she set the grocery bags on the counter. "Pretty happy kid you've got there."

"Yeah, he's just happy to see his old man. Isn't that right Rubix?" He asked as the boy ran across the room to the closed trap door.

"Toys?" He asked looking up at his father. "Toys?" He asked again.

"Well …. Perhaps he's more excited about his toys." He said with a slight chuckle. "What do you say?" Edward asked.

"Toys peas?" Rubix asked. Edward nodded as he moved to the trap door and opened it, hooking the latch into the wall.

"Careful on the stairs." He said as Rubix moved carefully, backwards on his hands and knees down to the basement.

"Should one of us go with him?" Kristen asked, a little anxious about this tiny child making his way down the stairs … though he seemed to be doing just fine.

"No he's fine … He knows to stay in his area, and not to touch the electronics unless I'm with him. He'll go straight for his toy box." He said watching as Rubix reached the bottom, and as predicted headed straight in the direction of the toy box. Ed stood up from where he was crouched and moved over to the groceries Kristen picked up for him. "How much do I owe you?" He asked, taking some fresh vegetables out of a bag, and a block of cheese, surprised that she'd managed to find his specified kind.

Kristen shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she said. "As often as you keep cooking for me, I figured I kind of owe you by now anyway."

"You don't owe me anything Kristen." He said quietly. "How much did all this come to?" He asked looking through the bag and trying to find the receipt.

"Then you don't owe me anything either," Kristen said stubbornly. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him on the back of the neck. "Don't I get to do nice things for you too, every once in awhile?" She loved how sweet Edward could be, but she started to feel bad when he kept doing everything all the time. He hardly ever even let her help with the dishes. Though he never complained about it, she still didn't think it was fair to him.

Edward smiled she she kissed his neck, still pulling out groceries out of the bags. "Well, if you want to do something nice … You can help me put the groceries away." He said emptying the last bag and still not finding a receipt. "You took the receipt didn't you?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Kristen smiled. "Yes, I did." She'd had a feeling Edward would be stubbornly selfless. She kissed him again, before going to put things away. She'd been over here watching Edward cook enough times now that she knew where just about everything went.

Edward heard a small crash from downstairs and paused listening as Rubix laughed knocking over more blocks. He shook his head as he started putting cans away into the cupboard.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he was going to be here. She just kind of showed up. I would have called but you showed up right after she left."

"It's alright," Kristen said. "I'll admit, I was caught off guard a little when I saw her walking out of here … But I'd been wanting to meet Rubix anyway. He's adorable."

"Well he certainly has his moments. He likes showing off, he won't be so cute at two in the morning." He said with a laugh. "If you don't want to stay tonight, I'd understand."

"I doubt any child is cute at two in the morning," Kristen chuckled. "But I don't really mind. Anyway, if a wanted fugitive crashing here didn't scare me off, do you really think a toddler will?"

"DAAAAADDDY!" Edward sighed and shook his head, the cry wasn't a distressed one.

"We'll see." Edward said making his way downstairs to help Rubix.

Kristen smiled softly as she followed Edward down the stairs. Really, Rubix had been more overwhelming as an idea than in person. The knowledge that Edward had a child already … it had been daunting. But in person, Rubix was that: a child, who was too busy playing and being a kid to disapprove of her. And, despite his warnings, she could tell how happy it made Edward to have his son here.

"Dada pay!" He said throwing a toy at Edward.

"Hey, what did I tell you about throwing toys?" He said sitting down next to Rubix on the carpet. "How about I introduce you to Kristen hmm?" He asked pulling Rubix towards him so that he was standing in front of his crossed legs. "Rubix this is Kristen, Kristen Rubix." He said as Rubix leaned against his chest and looking a bit uncertain. "Are you gonna say hi?" Ed asked with a slight chuckle. "She's really nice."

"Hi, Rubix," Kristen said, smiling. "Looks like you've got some really great toys here." She pointed to the one he'd just thrown. "What's that one?"

"Matwon!" He said twisting and hugging his dad.

"Rubix …. Say Hi to Kristen." Edward said nudging him playfully. Rubix looked up at her shyly.

"Hi." He said quietly. "This Matwon!"

Kristen smiled in amusement as she looked down at the toy, recognizing the character. "Megatron, huh?" she said. She wondered whether Rubix had picked out the toy or Edward had. "He looks pretty cool. What does Megatron do?"

"He tansfos!" He said moving to the toy and picking it up. He started moving pieces and shaping it until he had it fully transformed, as if it had been a piece of cake.

"Wow," Kristen said. Rubix clearly had really good dexterity for his age… and also really used to playing with this toy. It was probably one of his favorites. "That's pretty amazing."

"I have mo." Rubix said moving away from Edward and to the toy box suddenly excited to show her all his transformers. "This is Sconawk. And Stawsceen. And Sockway. And …. Dada where Unicorn?"

"You broke him, remember?" Edward said as Rubix looked at him. "Last time, you threw him down the stairs."

"No!" Rubix said digging through his toy box. "Mama take it?" He asked.

"No mama didn't take it. You broke it. We threw it out." Edward said calmly.

"Mama away take my toys!" He said as if it were no big deal and pulled out a large fire truck. "Play wace fucks?"

"Trucks." Edward corrected.

"Yeah … Wace fucks!" Rubix said bending over the large fire truck and racing it around the room, the wheels scraping on the wood floor once it hit the uncarpeted area.

Kristen put a hand to her mouth as she tried to stop laughing. "Where's the fire truck racing to?" she asked.

"Twack!" Rubix said zooming around the room before tripping and falling on his face, landing on the truck. He got up and kept going as if nothing happened.

"I'm going to have to go after supper or tomorrow morning and pick up some clothes for him. His mother just brought him and nothing else. So I'll have to pick up a few things." He said quietly. "Would you like to come with us, or stay here? It's up to you."

"I'd like that," Kristen said, then thought about it a moment. "If you'd rather, though, I could stay here with Rubix and look after him while you go to the store. You'd probably get done faster that way."

He shook his head. "I couldn't ask you to do that. You were coming over here for a date, not to baby sit." He said. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Kristen. "Having parental responsibilities? We'll have plenty of dates in the future." Lately, she was at Edward's apartment almost as often as she was at her own. She doubted they were going to run out of opportunities for quality time together. "It's no trouble, really."

Ed sighed quietly before he nodded. "Thank you." He said. "It shouldn't take more than an hour, he's a good kid though, keeps mostly to himself unless you want to play with him. Like I said he enjoys showing off." He said with a bit of a laugh.

"I wonder where he gets that from," Kristen said with a slight smile, before kissing Edward on the cheek. "I'll make sure Megatron and the Decepticons don't attack while you're out."

"Oh good … Here I was worried." He said with a laugh.

"Hey," said Kristen, getting an idea. "What if we paid Marian and Ben a visit? I bet they'd love to see Rubix."

"I was thinking of taking him down there tomorrow. But if you want to pop down there while I'm shopping you're more than welcome to. They like you and they'd love to see Rubix. I can just pop down after I've put everything away." He said coming up to her and hugging her. "Have I recently told you how amazing you are?" He asked kissing her lightly.

"You might have mentioned it a few times," Kristen smiled. This was kind of nice, she thought, getting to help out with Edward's son. She definitely appreciated the amount of trust he was showing her. "Hey Rubix," Kristen said, looking over at where Rubix was still playing. "Want to go see Marian and Ben? You can bring your fire truck."

"Tut … No. That one doesn't leave the apartment he knows that." He said as Rubix zoomed it over to the toy box. "It's too big and I don't want to ruin their floors. He can take one of his smaller ones though."

"Sorry," Kristen said. She should have asked Edward first before telling Rubix he could do something. She didn't want to undermine his parenting. "I didn't think about that … Looks like Rubix knows the rules better than I do, though."

"What for din din?" Rubix asked hefting the fire truck into the air and pushing it into the toy box with a loud crash.

"Ask that again." Edward said quietly.

"What is for din din?" Rubix asked again.

"Dinner." Edward corrected as he stood up. Rubix was right, it was time for him to start making dinner.

"What for din … Dinah?" Rubix asked making Edward shake his head.

"Close enough …" He said quietly. "We're going to have lasagna and salad."

"Blechy salad!" Rubix said making a disgusted face.

"You like my salad!" Edward said sounding offended.

"No! Blechy salad!" He said sticking out his tongue and laughing as Edward made to grab for it.

Kristen laughed. "But it's good for you. And it's not nice to call food blechy."

"Blechy salad!" Rubix said as Edward made his way towards the stairs to make supper.

"There's no point arguing with him. He's stubborn." He said heading upstairs.

"No idea where he gets that from either," Kristen smiled down at Rubix. "Do you want to keep playing with your toys or shall we go upstairs with daddy?"

"Dada!" Rubix said lifting his arms up to Kristen so she could pick him up. "Ustairs!" Edward turned back to Rubix and held his hands out to him so that he could pick him up when he came over. "No! Kisten!"

Kristen looked down at the small child in surprise. She hadn't expected him to take such a liking to her, at least not so quickly. "Alright, Rubix," she said, bending down to gently pick him up. "Up we go."

Ed made supper as Rubix ran around the upstairs, a few times running over the trap door which made Ed grateful that Kristen had the foresight to close it. Rubix ran up to a shelf and pointed up, looking over at Kristen.

"Down pease!" He said pointing up as high as he could.

"You want something from the shelf?" Kristen asked, looking up at where he was pointing, before glancing questioningly at Edward. It might not be something he was supposed to have. Generally, when parents put something on a high shelf, it was for a reason.

Ed looked over at the shelf as he pulled the lasagna out of the oven. "He wants the Rubik's cube. It's okay he can play with it. I still have to make the salad." He said as he pulled out a bowl. "Thank you for watching him while I cook by the way. I appreciate it."

"It's not as if he's any trouble," Kristen smiled as she pulled down the Rubik's cube and handed it to the boy. "He's a good kid."

Rubix took the Rubik's cube and looked at it a moment before handing it back to Kristen. "Mix pease!"

"You want me to mix it up?" Kristen asked, hesitating a moment. She knew Edward liked certain things in his apartment to be just so… But then, she doubted solving a Rubik's cube would pose as much of a challenge for him as it did for most people. When he didn't say anything in objection, Kristen gave the cube a few twists, mixing up the colored squares, before handing the cube back to Rubix.

Rubix took the cube and sighed before walking over to Edward. "Dada mix pease!" He said. "Kisten no do it right!" He said holding it up to him. Edward didn't bother correcting him on his wording this time, but took the cube and mixed it up for him, spinning the pieces in every different direction for a few moments before giving it back to him. "Thank you dada!" He said before going over and sitting on the floor and starting to turn the pieces.

"Well," Kristen laughed, watching the serious look on Rubix's little face as he set about turning the cube. "Excuse my inferior cube-mixing technique."

Rubix kept twisting the cube over and over again, turning it in his hands as trying to figure out how to solve it. Within three minutes he held up the cube fully solved and yelled "TIME DADA!" He said as Ed dished salad and lasagna onto three different plates.

Kristen's eyes widened as the toddler proudly presented the finished Rubik's cube. "How … how long has he been able to do that?" she asked.

"I don't know." Edward said. "I started timing him the last time he was here so … A few months?"

"That's … an incredibly smart boy you have there," she said, impressed, though she supposed she shouldn't be terribly surprised. With Edward's genes, it certainly made sense.

"He'd good with math problems and patterns. No idea where he gets that from." He said as he took the Rubik's cube from him and picked him up. "Time for dinner."

"No! Blechy salad!" Rubix screamed as Edward put the cube back on the shelf.

"I only gave you a little. If you eat it, you can have some ice cream after supper." Edward said bringing him over to the table. Rubix put his hands on Edward's chest and pushed away from him and stared at him with the most serious look on his face that he could muster.

"Iceceam?" Rubix asked. He stared at Edward for a moment that serious look still on his face. "Kay." He said struggling to get down as Edward put him down in his chair.

"He responds well to bribery," Kristen said, amused, as she sat down at the table. "This really looks great, Edward," she added. The lasagna smelled fantastic.

Edward sat down next to Rubix and handed him a small plastic child's fork he could use to eat his food that had been cut up into small pieces. "He does, and I'm hoping to not make a habit of it."

"Right," Kristen said, taking a bite of the dreaded salad. "You wouldn't want that to become a pattern … Wow, you should really try this salad, Rubix," she said. "It's really good."

Rubix said nothing to Kristen as he dug into his lasagna, getting more sauce on his face than in his mouth, but eating on his own nonetheless.


	16. Chapter 16

After finishing dinner and getting Rubix cleaned up, they had called ahead to let Marian and Ben know they were coming. Marian had seemed delighted to hear that Edward had Rubix this weekend, and even more delighted that Kristen was bringing him by. She knocked at the door, Rubix fidgeting restlessly next to her, his tiny hand in hers.

Ben answered the door and as soon as it was open Rubix ran into the apartment, letting go of Kristen's hand.

"GAMA!" Rubix yelled running in and hugging Marian. Ben smiled as he ran past him and looked up at Kristen.

"Hello again." Ben said kindly allowing Kristen into the apartment. "Thank you for bringing him over. Where's Ed?"

"He had to make a run to the store," Kristen said, smiling as Marian picked up Rubix and spun in a circle, a look of pure joy on her face. "Rubix's mom dropped him off without warning, and didn't leave any of his things so…"

"Well, that's hardly a shock," Marian said disapprovingly, shaking her head.

Rubix laughed as she spun him around, hugging her as she drew him to her. "Gamma miss me?" He asked looking at her as Ben closed the door and came into the apartment, giving him a hug as well.

"Of course I missed you," Marian said, smiling again at Rubix's laughter. She kissed him on the forehead. "Have you been having fun playing with daddy and Kristen today?"

"I show all my tanformos." He said holding up one of his toys that he was holding in his hand. Ben smiled as he went into the kitchen to get them all some drinks.

"Would you like a drink Kristen?" He asked as he pulled out a few glasses and Rubix's sippy cup that they kept just for him.

"Yes please," Kristen said, following him into the kitchen to see if he needed help with anything.

Marian nodded, duly impressed with the toy. "My, that's quite a robot you have there."

"Not a robot Gama! Tansformo!" He said wiggling to get out of her arms. "Look." He said as she put him down and started transforming the toy. Ben poured them all drinks, and poured some apple juice for Rubix bringing them all into the living room on a tray.

"Oh, my mistake," Marian chuckled, as Rubix transformed the toy. "Much better than any silly old robot."

Kristen followed Ben back into the livingroom. "So how have you both been?" she asked.

"We've been good." Ben said sitting down and picking up his bottle of beer. "Been busy at the store, thinking about retiring soon to be honest." He said sipping on his beer.

"You've been saying that since you reached your forties, you know you can't retire yet Ben!" Marian said sitting down on the couch as Rubix flew his toy around the room.

"What would you do if you retired?" Kristen asked, smiling slightly.

"Lounge about the apartment as he always does!" She said smacking him with a magazine she picked up off the table, making Rubix laugh.

They visited for nearly an hour, chatting and playing with Rubix, before there was a knock at the door. Ben moved to the doorway and smiled at Ed who came into the apartment.

"Ben." He greeted kindly.

"DADA BACK!" Rubix yelled getting up off the floor and tearing through the apartment to the front door.

Ed smiled as he picked Rubix off the floor. "How's my little monster been?" He asked Marian who was sitting on the floor by some toys they'd clearly been playing with. "Behaving I hope."

"Oh, he's been good, as always," Marian said as she went over to hug him. "And we've been having a nice time chatting with Kristen."

"Oh, I was referring to Kristen. I know Rubix is always good." He said teasingly as he came into the living room, knowing Kristen had heard the entire exchange.

Kristen crossed her arms. "I see how it is," she said petulantly, though with an amused smirk as she turned away from him.

"Thank you for letting him come over. He enjoys coming here. It's getting late though we should get him to bed." He said hugging Marian as she came up to him.

"Iceceam!" Rubix said reminding him.

"Yes you can have some ice cream, I did promise didn't I?" He asked to Rubix who nodded. "Alright we'll go home, you put your jam jams on, and I'll get you some ice cream."

Kristen smiled slightly. "He certainly has a good memory," she said, before thanking Marian and Ben once again for having her over, and heading to the door with Edward and Rubix.

"Nigh nigh gama!" Rubix yelled and waved over Ed's shoulder as they left. Once they reached the apartment he put Rubix down who ran for the trap door trying, unsuccessfully, to open it.

"Would you mind taking him down to put his jam jams on? I'll get us some ice cream, do you want some?"

"Sure," Kristen said, kissing Edward on the cheek before going to open the trapdoor, Rubix letting her pick him up and carry him down the stairs. Edward had left Rubix's new pajamas out where she could easily find them, neatly folded on top of the toybox.

"Look at that," Kristen smiled. "Daddy got you transformers jam jams."

"Transformos!" Rubix yelled, before looking up at Kristen solemnly and reminding her: "Iceceam."

"Yes, you're right," Kristen said, as she helped Rubix out of his shirt. "Best to focus on what's really important …"

Kristen frowned. The tiny boy had a few noticeable bruises. Where had those come from? Granted, he was an energetic kid at an age when children weren't too steady on their feet, but … He couldn't possibly bruise that easily, or he'd have one on his face from when he'd tripped over the firetruck earlier.

A cold fear settled over her, even though she couldn't be certain. What was going on in his mother's custody? Kristen adjusted her glasses. On closer inspection, some of the bruises looked distinctly like handprints, most noticeably on his upper arm, where it looked like someone had grabbed him roughly.

"Rubix …" Kristen said slowly, trying to keep her voice bright, free from the anger she felt building inside. If Rubix picked up on how upset she was, it might scare him. "How did …" She pointed to the bruises on his arm. "When did you get hurt?"

Rubix pulled his pants down, kicking them off and falling onto his bottom as one foot was stuck. He sat on the ground nude as he yanked it off his foot and stood up again shakily and paused when he heard Kristen's question.

"Naw supposed to say." He said grabbing his jam jams and bringing them over to Kristen. "Hep pease." He said holding them out to her.

"Not supposed to say …" Kristen repeated quietly, her worst suspicions confirmed. "Right …" She took the jam jams as he held them out to her. Of course. This probably all seemed normal to him.

She thought about calling Edward down immediately … But she didn't know how he would react. This had to be his worst nightmare. He would be beyond livid … and if he let any of that show, Rubix wouldn't understand why. The boy would be scared, might even think he was in trouble for something. No, it would be better to tell Edward later, after Rubix was asleep. She helped him into the pajama pants, but paused before helping with his shirt.

"Hang on," she said, getting out her phone. "I have to do something really quick. Then we'll go upstairs and get ice cream, okay?" She quickly took a picture of the bruise on his arm, before putting the phone away. It would be better if Edward first reacted to seeing this away from Rubix. Then, she quickly helped him into the pajama shirt.

"ICECEAM!" Rubix yelled once his pajamas were on, climbing barefoot back up the stairs to the main floor. "DADA ICECEAM!" He said as he jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes, yes here we go." He said putting three bowls on the table. Vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, sprinkles and cut up bananas. Rubix's portion was much smaller than theirs but he didn't complain as he climbed up onto his chair, sitting on his knees so he could reach the table and dug in.

Kristen looked sadly over at Rubix, but at least he was happy for the moment. Edward put so much effort into taking care of him, when he got the chance. He was going to be beyond upset when he found out. "This looks great, Edward," she said, sitting down at the table.

"As you say with everything I make." He said with a smile as he dug into his own ice cream.

It was half an hour later, that Ed carried Rubix to bed. He read him a short story, Green Eggs and Ham, and kissed him goodnight.

"Dada!" Rubix yelled as Ed reached the stairs. Ed paused and looked back. "Monstos." He said and Ed nodded.

"Right. How could I forget?" He said moving back over the bed. He got on his knees and made a show of pulling out the storage boxes under the bed and looking under it. "No monsters here!" He said and looked up at Rubix.

"Coush!" He said pointing at the couch. Ed moved to it and looked under the small crack under the couch.

"No monsters here!" He said as Rubix looked under around the room.

"Pool table!" He said, surprisingly clearly.

Edward looked under the pool table and shook his head. "No monsters here either! It's all monster proof and you know what … The only way in is the door upstairs … So the only way any monsters are going to get in is through me! And do you think I'm going to let any monsters get through?" He asked as Rubix furiously shook his head no. "Well … Maybe I'll let through …" He paused as if thinking about it. "The tickle monster!" He said tickling Rubix who squealed and laughed as he was tickled. He smiled and kissed Rubix on the head as he stared up at him smiling. "Good night Rubix." He said running his hand through his hair.

"Night dada." Rubix said before Ed turned off the light and heading back upstairs.

"Edward," Kristen said quietly as he reached the top of the stairs. She looked pained. "There's … something you need to see."

Edward came over to her and sat with her at the table. "Why so serious all of a sudden?" He asked wondering what could have happened. As far as he knew the day had gone well.

"It's Rubix," Kristen hesitantly, opening the picture on her phone. "I think maybe … Just look," she said, handing him the phone.

Edward looked down at the photo on the flip phone. It was horrid quality but it was very clearly bruises on a small child. His child. He felt his face pale and his body go numb as he closed the phone and dropped it onto the table. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked as anger filled him and he headed towards the trap door.

"I only just saw them, helping him change," Kristen said, not surprised by his anger. It was the natural response. "I wanted to wait until he was asleep, since … I thought it might scare him if he saw that you were angry."

"Of course I'm angry." He said opening the trap door and heading downstairs. He clicked the light on and Rubix watched him as he moved to the side table by the couch and pulled open the drawer to find his camera.

"What you doing dada?" He asked sitting up as Ed came over to him and sat down on the bed.

"Hey bud." Ed said gently, despite the anger he currently felt. "I heard you got a boo boo." He said immediately seeing the shocked look on Rubix's face. "Can I see it?"

He wasn't surprised when Rubix shook his head vigorously and looked rather frightened. He put his hand on Rubix's back comfortingly and rubbed his back gently. "It's okay …" Ed said. "I won't tell your mom, it'll be our secret okay?" He asked though Rubix still shook his head.

"Dada has a boo boo, do you want to see it?" Rubix looked up at him, clearly a little distressed at the situation but nodded. Ed took off his sweater and lifted the sleeve of his button up tshirt so Rubix could see the red healing scar on his arm from when he'd been shot.

"See … Dada's got a boo boo too." He said as Rubix poked it, typical small boy reacting to a wound he'd never seen before. Luckily it was healed enough it didn't hurt at all.

"Dada boo boo?" Rubix asked looking up at him.

"Yeah, that's dada's boo boo." Ed said as Rubix kissed it better making Ed laugh. "Can I see your boo boo now?" He asked, letting go of his sleeve.

Rubix looked at Ed's arm before looking up at him. "No telling mum?"

"No telling mum." Ed agreed, though he knew she'd find out as soon as he contacted his lawyer. Rubix took off his shirt showing Ed the bruises on his arm, and one on his side. The one on his arm was shaped like fingerprints clearly from someone grabbing him roughly, and the one on his side could only be the shape of knuckles … And both hand prints were too large to be a woman's.

Ed inwardly writhed with anger as he took pictures of both bruises, Rubix's allowing him to do so with surprising patience.

"Do you have any others?" Ed asked. Rubix shook his head and Ed helped him put his shirt back on. "Okay … Thank you for showing me bud." He said kissing him good night again. Rubix had him make one more sweeping check for monsters again before he headed back upstairs again with the camera.

Kristen waited anxiously at the top of the stairs, but it sounded like Edward was handling the situation well, doing a good job of soothing and reassuring Rubix. She nodded with grim approval when she saw the camera. Edward had the right idea, gathering evidence. Even as upset as he had to be, he was still handling this very rationally. "Do you have legal counsel you can call?" she asked quietly.

"I'll call my lawyer in the morning. Sadly I doubt he'll do anything. If he doesn't take this seriously though, I'm finding someone else." He said as he sat down at the table. He took his glasses off and rubbed his hands over his face.

Quietly, Kristen walked over and laid a gentle hand on Edward's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said. "You'll let me know if there's anything I can do to help?"

Edward pulled his hands away from his face, placing them on the table before he moved his hand to hers on his shoulder. He brought it to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you." He said before looking up at her and turning in his chair slightly, pulling her into his lap and hugging her around her waist. "Seriously. You're amazing. For everything … I honestly didn't expect him to be here, you were so good with him, I appreciate it. Not many would have been so … accepting of having that thrown at them like he was."

"Maybe I didn't expect him to be here today," Kristen said, running her fingers lightly through Edward's hair. "But he's an important part of your life. I understand that … And it's been kind of nice having him around."

"You're amazing." He said kissing her gently. "I keep saying it, and I'll keep repeating it. You're an amazing woman! I keep expecting to wake up and find out that you're not really here with me … It wasn't that long ago I was trying to convince myself to give up, because I had no chance with you but … Here you are." He said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "And you're even better than I had hoped."

Kristen smiled softly. "You're pretty amazing yourself," she said, before leaning in and kissing him. She couldn't imagine any of her previous boyfriends being as caring and nurturing as she'd seen Edward be today.

"If by amazing you mean problematic, then I entirely agree." He said kissing her again before nudging her gently to get off him so he could get up. "It's getting late though. We should head to bed."

"You're right," Kristen said, stretching a little as she stood up. She stifled a yawn. "It's been kind of a busy day." Though she had enjoyed spending time with Rubix, keeping up with his boundless energy had left her exhausted. No doubt Edward was tired too … Though she worried that he might not be able to sleep after what they'd found out.

Ed was quiet as he changed into his pajamas, and brushed his teeth. When he was done went downstairs quietly to check on Rubix while Kristen got ready for bed. He was sleeping quietly so he came back upstairs and turned off the light in the kitchen are, the room dimming with just the lamp by the bed on.

Once Kristen had finished getting ready for bed, she slipped under the covers, setting her glasses aside on the bedside table. She looked up at Edward as he returned. "How's he doing?" she asked quietly. Though Edward seemed to have calmed down significantly since his initial reaction, she could hardly even begin to imagine the worry, the anger, the fear all swirling around in his mind right now.

"He's sleeping." He said taking off his glasses and climbing into bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her, cuddling up next to her. "I'm glad you were here today … I couldn't imagine dealing with this on my own." He said, though as soon as he said it he realized it may make feel like she has some obligation to help. Even though she did offer. "I mean … I'm glad for the company." He said. "I know this is my problem not yours it's just … Easier having someone else here."

"Edward," Kristen said softly, looking up at his face as she settled against him, resting a hand against his chest. "He's your son. No one should have to deal with something like this, alone or otherwise … But I'm glad I was able to be here too."

Edward smiled softly as he leaned forward and kissed her gently, his hand moving to her side. "Thank you." He said softly, even though he said it already, he felt the need to say it again.

"Anytime," Kristen whispered, kissing him back. She wrapped her arms around him, running her hands soothingly over his back. She didn't feel like she'd really done much to help, though. She wished she could do more to alleviate Edward's worries, to keep Rubix safe.

Edward kissed her again, enjoying the closeness between them now that they had some time to actually stop and relax. He felt like every negative emotion he could feel was currently running through his head but he didn't want that to affect Kristen … Yes, he needed to worry about Rubix, and yes he needed to call his lawyer, but there was little he could do at the moment, and dwelling on it would only hurt them in the long run.

Kristen leaned into Edward's kiss, continuing to hold him, snuggling close against him. She didn't know if it was actually helping, but she always found it comforting being near him, and hoped that it might have the same effect on him.

Ed deepened the kiss slightly as his hand moved down to her hip. He still didn't understand how he got so lucky finding a beautiful, kind, caring, understanding woman that actually wanted him … That not only wanted him, but wanted to help him and his son.

Kissing him back, Kristen ran her hands lightly through Edward's hair, pressing close against him as she felt his hand move to her hip. Maybe she could help him to take his mind off of things, at least for a little while.

Edward moaned into the kiss as he pressed himself against her, moving her back onto her back and climbing on top of her, his mouth never leaving hers as he pressed his tongue into her mouth.

Moving against him, Kristen wrapped her arms around Edward, her hands running over his back as her mouth moved against his.

He rolled his hips down against her, his cock slowly starting to harden in his pajama pants as he trailed his lips down to her jaw, then her neck, leaving open mouthed kisses over her soft flesh.

Kristen moaned softly as Edward kissed down her neck, her hips moving up against him, feeling Edward's hardening cock rub against her through his pajama pants.

His hand moved up her leg to her hip, pulling up her nightgown as it moved along her thigh. "I want you." He said quietly as he nipped her neck just below her ear.

"Go on, then," Kristen whispered, smiling slightly, her hands moving lightly down Edward's sides, toward the hem of his pajama pants.

Edward lifted his hips away from her slightly, giving her the room to do as she pleased, enjoying the feeling of her hands on him.

Kristen slipped a hand into Edward's pajama pants and reached down to lightly stroke Edward's hardening cock.

He moaned quietly as she wrapped her fingers around his shaft, starting to stroke him as he hardened in her palm. He lowered his mouth to her collarbone, his hips shifting against her.

"DAAAAAADDDDDAAAAAA!" Edward paused when he heard Rubix screaming downstairs, followed by loud dramatic crying. Edward sighed, and rested his head against Kristen's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He whispered sitting up.

Kristen winced at the loud, high-pitched cry from downstairs, but resignedly withdrew her hand from Edward's pants. "It's … it's okay," she reassured him, doing the best she could to mask her disappointment. But she wouldn't have asked Edward to respond any other way. He was a good dad, and this was part of what came with that. Even if it was inconvenient at the moment, it only made Edward more endearing. "Go chase away the monsters."

Edward got off the bed and awkwardly headed downstairs, flicking on the lights. "What's up bud?" He asked to the red faced toddler sitting up right in bed and clutching one of his transformers that he knew he would not have left in the bed with him. Clearly he'd been frightened for some time before calling him.

"I had bad a bad deam." Rubix said sniffing and wiping away the tears. Edward sat down on the side of his bed and pulled him into his arms.

"Do you want me to plug in your night light?" He asked holding him comfortingly.

"No." He said rubbing his face on Edward's tshirt. "Do you want me to stay down here for a bit?" He asked, rubbing his back.

"No." Rubix said again sniffeling.

"What do you want to do then?" Edward asked, looking down at him. He wasn't sure what else he could do. Perhaps Rubix didn't even know what he wanted. It wouldn't be the first time, and it was common for children his age.

"Sl-Sleep with you." Rubix said his voice breaking as he sniffled.

"Sleep with me?" Edward asked. "Kristen's still upstairs."

"Sleep Kristen too!" Rubix said rubbing his eyes with both hands. Edward took the transformer off of Rubix's lap and handed him his stuffed teddy.

"Kristen doesn't live far from here. Why don't we go see if Kristen wants to go home first, we'll go for a short drive, and then we'll come home to bed." Edward said looking down at him.

"No, sleep Kristen too!" Rubix insisted. Edward sighed. He didn't know how Kristen would feel about that. She'd been so supportive today but she wasn't his mother.

"Come on, we'll see what she'd want to do. We wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable right? You just met her today, she's a bit of a stranger to you. So we'll ask her." He said standing up with Rubix on his hip. He headed upstairs, Rubix's face buried in his neck, his arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"He uh … Wants to sleep up here." He said to Kristen quietly. "He had a bad dream. If you want I can take you home ... "

Kristen looked up at Edward and the frightened child hiding his face against him. "Oh," she said, surprised for a moment, then shook her head. "You don't have to take me home in the middle of the night, Edward," she said tiredly. And Rubix, as scared as he was, probably wouldn't like making the trip in the dark either. "I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "He kicks … and flails …. and grinds his teeth." He said. To be honest Rubix was rather obnoxious to sleep with even just with the two of them in the bed. He couldn't imagine what it would be like with the three of them. The bed wasn't that large and despite Rubix being so small … He tended to take up a lot of room.

"You do some of that yourself," Kristen smiled slightly. "I'm a sound sleeper. I doubt it'll bother me much." In any case, the poor kid was scared, and he needed his dad's full attention now. She looked up at Edward, trying to gage how he felt about this. "Unless it's weird for you if I stay?"

"No, It's fine." He said putting Rubix down on the bed, his face still red but he at least stopped crying. He crawled over to the middle of the bed and looked at Kristen.

"Kisten stay?" He asked as he tried to pull the covers back for him to crawl under but was unsuccessful since there was more than one blanket.

"Yes," Kristen said, pulling up the blankets so that Rubix could crawl into bed. "I'll stay." It surprised her a little, though, that he seemed to want her to. She could understand that he wanted his dad around when he was scared, but she didn't know why he seemed to like her so much already.

Rubix smiled and crawled under the blanket that Kristen held up, and looked up at his dad who crawled in on the other side. He yawned widely as Edward pulled the blanket over himself and settled in on his side of the bed. "Night." He said leaning over and kissing Kristen quickly.

"Ewwwwwww." Rubix said putting his hand over Ed's mouth so he couldn't do it again. "Cooties!"

Kristen laughed. "Thank you for protecting everyone from cooties, Rubix," she said, smiling over at Edward, before settling down into the covers. "Goodnight."


	17. Chapter 17

True to his word Rubix had flailed and kicked, and had ground his teeth all night and had kept Edward, who was already a light sleeper, awake most of the night. Come morning Edward felt exhausted, and since Rubix was already trying to push him off the bed with his elbows in his sleep, Edward decided it was time to get up. He yawned quietly as he got dressed, Rubix quickly invading the empty spot he'd left on the bed, before going to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Kristen yawned and stretched as she awoke, finding Edward already up and about, and Rubix sprawled out on the bed next to her. She quietly got up, careful not to disturb Rubix, tucking the blankets back around him as she got out of bed and went over to Edward in the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?" she asked, leaning up and kissing Edward on the cheek.

"You keep asking me that." Edward said as he put some sausage into a pan. "And as always, the answer is no. Get out of my kitchen." He joked.

Kristen sighed melodramatically. "Banished from the kitchen once again … It's like you think I'm going to cause trouble or something."

"You always cause trouble." He said before yawning. "What are we doing today?" Ed asked. "If you're staying, I don't want to assume."

"Well, I know you have to call your lawyer," Kristen said, hating to bring up that painful topic. "But after that… I don't know. Maybe we could take Rubix to the zoo, or do something fun like that?" She liked the idea of going out somewhere together, and it was something they hadn't done before.

"To the Gotham City Zoo?" Edward asked with a skeptical look on his face. "There's nothing worth seeing there." He said finishing up making breakfast, sausage and hashbrowns. "Why not the park?"

"Park?" Edward looked over at Rubix who was sitting up in bed, his hair sticking up in every direction, still mostly asleep with his eyes barely open but suddenly awake as if summoned by the word park.

"That sounds like a lovely idea," she said, smiling slightly as she looked over at Rubix, before going to set the table. Ed left the food on the counter as he helped Rubix off the bed.

"Go potty." He said tapping his head. Rubix moved towards the bathroom waving like a little drunken person as he tried waking up. Ed laughed slightly as he headed back to the counter. He took the plates and brought them to the table. He saw Rubix come out of the bathroom. "Did you flush?" Rubix looked up at him before going back into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and came back out again. "Did you wash your hands?" Rubix sighed as he went back into the bathroom and climbed up on his step stool to wash his hands.

Kristen laughed quietly as she finished setting the table. "You're so terribly demanding," she said jokingly. "And first thing in the morning, too."

"Yes, because proper hygiene is so demanding. He has to learn." He said as Rubix came in and climbed up onto his chair, holding onto the table as he climbed up. He lost his balance and fell forward hitting his face on the table but caught himself and sat up on his knees as Ed placed the plate in front of him.

"Thank you dada!" He said as Ed handed him his plastic kids fork and he started eating his hash browns.

"Seems to be learning pretty well," she said, as she sat down at the table. "Isn't that right, Rubix?" From what she had seen, Edward was turning out to be a great dad … when he got the chance to be, anyway. At least Rubix had one good parent he could count on.

Ed handed Kristen her plate and sat down to eat as well. Rubix finished off his plate quickly, or at least half of it, and climbed down from the table taking his plate over to the counter.

"Park now?" Rubix asked running up to Kristen, knowing she'd give in sooner than dad would.

"Rubix … Go downstairs and play for a little okay, when I'm done eating I'll come get you dressed and we can go."

Kristen looked over at Edward as Rubix reluctantly dropped the subject of the park and headed down to the trapdoor.

"What is it?" Kristen asked quietly once Rubix was out of earshot.

"I need to call my lawyer before we go. I'd like to get it over with." He said playing with his food a moment before taking another bite. He hated this so much … He knew he would have to send Rubix back to his mom as much as he wanted to keep him here.

Kristen reached out and took Edward's hand in hers. "It's going to be okay," she said quietly. "I'm sure you and your lawyer will be able to figure something out." Though there was no way of knowing how long it would take, or if Rubix would be hurt again before they could get him away from his mother.

Once Ed finished eating he took both of their plates to the sink and washed all the dishes, putting Rubix's leftover food into the garbage. "Would you mind going downstairs with Rubix while I call. When I'm done we'll go to the park." He asked, wiping his wet hands on a tea towel he was holding.

Kristen nodded, before getting up from the table and quietly going down to the trapdoor, forcing a smile as she walked down the stairs. Rubix was already busily playing with his toys. It was hard to wrap her head around the idea that anyone would ever hurt him … Hopefully, they would be able to put a stop to that, though. "What are the transformers up to this time?" she asked brightly.

"Awbots don't like Ceptcons!" He said throwing a miniature Optimus prime across the room and making an explosion noise before he got up leaving his three transformers on the floor. "Wanna play hide?" He asked.

"Sure," Kristen said, stifling a laugh, though she didn't see much in the way of hiding places down here. Rubix didn't seem like he would be deterred by such a technicality, though. She covered her eyes with her hands, and started counting. "One … two … three …"

It was nearly forty five minutes later that Edward finally came back downstairs, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Hey … Sorry that took so long." He said, wondering if they'd heard anything from the conversation upstairs. The conversation had gotten a bit … Heated a few times. And at the end of the conversation Ed had actually gone outside into the back alley because he was scared he'd start yelling and he didn't want Rubix to hear that. In the end, he had started yelling at the man who was refusing to be even remotely helpful, and had basically fired him before throwing his phone across the alley so hard it skidded off the cement and shattered on the adjacent building.

Kristen looked up at Edward, pausing in her 'search' for Rubix, who was giggling conspicuously from his hiding place under a blanket.

"Did everything … go alright?" Kristen asked, not able to say much more in front of Rubix. From the look on Edward's face, she didn't get the impression the conversation had gone terribly well, but then the subject matter wasn't exactly cheerful to begin with.

"No." Edward said plainly. "And I need to stop some time today and get a new cell phone." He said looking around the room. "Where's Rubix?" He asked seriously, going along with the charade.

"I don't know," Kristen said in a mock-earnest voice, holding back her questions and worries for later. "I just looked away for ten seconds, and now I can't find him anywhere. Where could he be?"

"Kristen. I left you in charge!" Ed said, clearly joking as Rubix was giggling and moving around under the blanket, thinking they couldn't see him.

"I know!" Kristen wailed melodramatically. "I'm sorry. He's just so good at hiding. I don't know how we'll ever find him."

Ed walked towards the couch, a smirk on his face as he pointed to Rubix as if she didn't know where he was. "I think he might be in the bathroom." Ed said moving his hand towards the blanket.

"Okay, I'll go check there," Kristen said, smiling as Edward reached for the blanket. Edward smiled as he pulled the blanket off Rubix who squealed and jumped down from the couch running around the table and tripping over the leg. He landed on the floor with a loud thud and sprung back up running towards his bed area.

"You okay bud?" Ed asked despite the fact that Rubix barely stopped laughing as he fell.

"Yeah." He said panting over by the room.

"You keep that up you're not going to have enough energy for the park." Ed said as Rubix jumped up and down yelling 'park' over and over again. "Well …" He said to Kristen. "At least we know he'll nap this afternoon."

Kristen smiled slightly, as she watched Rubix jump up and down enthusiastically. She shook her head. "Where does he even get all this energy? Does he just infinitely generate it?"

"Joys of being young I guess." He said as Rubix climbed up the stairs screaming about the park. "Rubix keep it down please, we don't want to wake the neighbors."

"Yes, the park will still be there even if you don't yell about it," Kristen said, amused, as she followed Rubix and Edward up the stairs.

It took them nearly twenty minutes to reach the park, Edward having to yell at Rubix to stop at the road at every intersection until finally he took Rubix's hand and refused to let him go off on his own until they reached the park. The park was littered with screaming kids and Ed let go of Rubix's hand so that he could run off to the play structure.

"So," Kristen asked quietly, looking at Edward with anxious eyes as Rubix ran off toward the slides. "What does the situation look like?"

Ed moved quietly to a park bench and sat down, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles in front of him. "He's not doing shit for me. He basically said it would be a waste of time and money to pursue a case with such little evidence. I fired him … Once I get home I'm going to have to try to find a lawyer that will actually help me." He said watching as Rubix climbed up the wooden slope of the structure and up onto a platform.

Kristen shook her head, quietly angry, as she sat next to Edward on the park bench. "What's the point of even having a lawyer if he can't… or won't even help with something like this?" And what if the next lawyer Edward went to wasn't any better? They needed someone on the case as quickly as possible. She frowned in thought for a moment, trying to come up with solutions, but the situation was tricky. It needed to be handled carefully.

"Yeah well … He's not my problem anymore, he can try to find some other poor sap to pay him their hard earned money. I'm going to go this afternoon and get another cell, and then call around, find someone to help us. I'm sorry about all this it's a lot of drama and I don't expect you to put up with it. If you want I can take you home before I deal with all this. Perhaps after Rubix's has gone …. home …" He said bitterly. "You could come back?" He asked, though he really didn't want her to leave.

Kristen looked steadily back at him. "Edward," she said quietly. "Do you want me to stay?"

Edward ran his hand over his mouth, realizing he hadn't shaved this morning meaning he had a bit of stubble he wasn't too fond of. "I don't want to make you feel like you feel obligated." Edward said. "It's up to you if you want to stay or not. I can handle this either way, I just … Don't want to get you involved if you don't want to be."

"I don't feel obligated," Kristen reassured him, taking his hand in hers. "So don't worry about that," she said firmly. "Now tell me, do you think you'll feel better if I stay?"

"Honestly I don't think anything will make me feel better about this situation. But it would be appreciated if you did stay." He said resting his arm on the back of the bench behind her.

"Then I'll stay," she said simply,settling close against him on the bench. "And you can let me know if there's anything I can do to help make any of this easier."

Ed smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"Well, if it isn't the love birds." Ed jumped and looked over, expecting someone they work with that had their intentions of making fun of or bothering them, but he calmed quickly when he realized it was Jim bugging them, Lee coming up beside him.

"Detective Gordon." Edward said looking up at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Just out getting some fresh air," said Lee.

"I didn't know they had that in Gotham," Kristen said. She glanced over at Edward. Now that she thought about it, there was a possibility that Jim might be able to help, or at least know someone who could… But she wouldn't tell them about this without asking Edward first.

"Yeah me neither." Jim said laughing slightly. "What are you two doing out here. You two always struck me more as the indoorsy type."

Edward shrugged. "I wanted to get the kid out of the house for a bit …" He said pointing towards the play structure where Rubix was running around with three other kids. "I have a rather small apartment, even if it is two floors. He's got way too much energy." He said with a slight laugh.

Jim's eyebrows raised as he stared in confusion at the tiny human toddling around the playground, as if its existence didn't quite compute. "You um… never mentioned that you had a kid," he said, looking back at Edward. They'd worked together at GCPD long enough that, in the midst of all of Edward's random trivia, he'd have thought the man would have mentioned it at least once.

"He's adorable, Ed," Lee said, positively beaming as she looked over at Rubix, who was still busily running around the playground. She glanced over at Kristen, bursting with questions she couldn't ask just yet. How were Kristen and the kid getting along? Had they spent much time together yet? How did Kristen feel about all of this… She couldn't be sure, but they certainly looked comfortable enough all together at the park … They really were far too cute together.

"Which one is yours?" Jim asked. There were quite a few kids.

"The one in the blue sweater." He said. "The one with the misfortune to have inherited my ears."

"He's an energetic little guy, isn't he?" Lee observed, as Rubix ran past the swings, waving around Optimus Prime.

"Constantly," Kristen smiled slightly. "He's smart too, like his dad."

"Well, he comes about it more naturally than I do, I think." He said his cheeks tinting red at the compliment.

"Don't be so modest, Edward," Kristen said, nudging his arm playfully. "It comes naturally to him because it's genetic."

"Me and Jim were planning on going out for dinner tonight, would you two like to join us?" Lee asked as Jim looked at her clearly unimpressed with the question.

"That's very kind of you. But we have some things we need to take care of today." Edward said without elaborating. A few seconds later he heard Rubix screaming and looked over to see him sitting on ground, the knee of his jeans torn. Edward shook his head as he stood up and headed over towards Rubix, whose tears were far more dramatic than necessary for such a small scrape.

Kristen nodded, as she stood up. "Yeah, today's going to be kind of busy," she said, her expression apologetic. For one thing, they were going to have to find Edward a new lawyer. "But we should definitely hang out again soon." Especially if the lawyers all fell through… Edward might not like it, but going to Jim might end up being their only option.

Edward came back holding Rubix in his arms, his little arms wrapped around his neck as he sniffled against his sweater. He was fine, he just tripped and had a little bit of a scrape on his knee. "Do you want to go home?" Edward asked as Rubix nodded sniffling, despite just having gotten there not long ago.

"Alright," Kristen said softly, patting Rubix on the back. "We'll go home." She looked over at Lee and Jim. "Maybe another time?"

"Definitely," said Lee. They clearly had some catching up to do.

"See you at work," Jim said, with a slightly forced-looking smile. He still seemed to be having a hard time wrapping his head around the notion of Nygma as a father.

Jim and Lee continued down the park path as Ed and Kristen headed back home, Rubix held in his arms as he seemed to refuse to want to let go.

"I can't walk." Rubix said. "Boo boo hurts!" He said making Ed laugh slightly.

"You're okay." Edward said. "We'll put a scooby doo bandaid on it when we get home okay?" He said as they walked. They got home and Edward did as he promised, he helped Rubix's out of his pants, and put a scooby doo bandaid on it, which miraculously made Rubix better. He ran through the house in just a tshirt and his underwear despite Edward trying to stop him, and he ran up to Kristen.

"Kisten look. Ooby Doo andaid!" He said pointing at the bandaid on his knee.

Kristen laughed. "I see that," she said. "Scooby Doo makes everything better."

Edward came back up the stairs, shaking his head before there was a loud knock on the door. He moved towards the door, wondering who it was before the voice that came through answered him. "EDWARD OPEN THE DOOR!"

Rubix jumped and looked at the door before reaching up and pulling on Kristen's hand as she was closer to him than Edward was. "Kisten pants … Kisten pants pease!" He said sounding a bit scared, and tugging on her hand.

"Okay," Kristen said, alarmed by how scared Rubix seem. She picked up Rubix and headed for the stairs. "We'll go get your pants right now, okay?"

Edward shook his head, disappointed that Rubix felt the need to react such, in response to his own mother. He waited until Kristen had taken him downstairs before answering the door. "I thought you weren't picking him up until Sunday."

"I changed my mind. Where's my kid?" She asked angrily as she came into the apartment, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"He's getting changed. He'll be up in a second." Ed said closing the door.

"By himself? Edward he's three!" She said storming towards the open trap door.

Having just finished getting Rubix into the new, unripped pair of pants, Kristen was about to head up the stairs, the child's small hand in hers. Though Rubix still seemed a little scared, probably because his mother sounded so angry.

Brittany paused as the red headed woman came upstairs with her son. "Oh very nice Edward … Couldn't bother to change him yourself so you had your new whore do it?" She asked. "I'd imagine her more as the help but …" She was talking to Edward but her eyes were on Kristen as she looked her up and down. "God knows you couldn't afford it."

Kristen held her tongue, swallowing the bitterness and embarrassment that Brittany's words stirred in her. She straightened her posture, unable to help feeling short and plain as she looked evenly back at her more polished and fashionable predecessor. She refused to say anything overtly nasty about Rubix's mother in front of him … Though she felt extremely uncomfortable about letting him go anywhere with her.

"Why?" Kristen asked coolly, looking up at her over the rims of her glasses. "Does that matter to you?"

"Because if he's going to make such a god damn deal about seeing my son, then he should take some god damn initiative to take care of him and not just put him in his basement with his new play thing …. Tell me, has he knocked you up yet? He tends to make a habit of that." Brittany said grabbing Rubix's arm. "Where's his stuff Edward?" She asked.

Edward shook his head. "You shouldn't grab him like that." He said clearly upset about the matter as he moved towards the stairs to go collect the things he'd bought for Rubix.

Kristen shook her head. "Don't send those things with her," she said indignantly, crossing her arms. She looked over at Brittany, flat-out ignoring her previous comments as if she hadn't heard them. "Edward bought all of that himself, because you dropped him off here with nothing. They can stay here for the next time you bring him over." She saw what was happening here, and refused to let Edward's ex take advantage of him.

Brittany looked at Kristen and raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me bitch? Who the fuck do you think you are?" She asked. "Edward, go get his things. I don't want to look at your ugly ho anymore. Honestly Edward, I thought you had standards." She said before snapping at him. "Well, go get his shit so I can leave." She said but Edward didn't move.

Kristen glanced over at Edward, who had gone eerily silent … She recognized the particular brand of fear in his eyes, and she understood. She had been there … But if Edward couldn't stand up to Brittany, then she would. "It's not yours," she said flatly, her hands going to her hips, staring her down over the rims of her glasses. "He paid for it. It's all staying here."

She wanted to say that Rubix was staying here too … But right now, with no legal advice to back them up, and very little evidence, all that would do was give Brittany cause to file kidnapping charges. And if she let her know what they were planning, Brittany would have time to cover her tracks, ensuring that they would never get Rubix away from her. It was infuriating that they were helpless to keep her from taking Rubix … But Kristen could at least stop her from walking all over Edward.

"She … She's right Miss. Free." Edward said though his voice sounded a lot quieter than he had intended. "You should leave." He said though Brittany didn't hear any of it as she advanced towards Kristen.

"Rubix … Is my child … Not yours … Those things belong to him, and are so going with him." She said before raising her hand to hit Kristen. Edward stepped in between them quickly and took the hit to his collar bone with a wince.

"We told you to leave … I suggest you do so before I call the police and file assault charges."

Brittany backed away from him with a huff. "Yeah? … You do that. We'll see how that goes." She said roughly picking up Rubix in her arms as he started screaming for his dada. Edward closed his eyes as the door slammed shut behind them.

Kristen winced as the door slammed, before she looked over at Edward in concern. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay," she said quietly. "We'll get Rubix away from her."

"Not quickly enough." He said sitting down at the table. "Do you have Jim or Lee's number?" He asked.

"I have Lee's," Kristen said, relieved that she didn't have to convince him that bringing Jim into this would be a good idea. They would help. She was sure they would, if they knew the situation. "Do you want to call them, or shall I?"

"Perhaps it would be better if you spoke with her. You seem to be closer to her than I am with either one of them. I just want this handled as fast as possible and if that means involving them then …." He paused and sighed shaking his head. "I should have stepped in sooner … I'm sorry I didn't. You didn't deserve that."

Kristen shook her head. "Neither did you," she said firmly, then she looked up at him, worried. "You don't think she'll take it out on Rubix, do you?"

"I honestly don't know …" Edward said stressing a bit. "I don't know what to expect from her anymore. I mean I knew she was nasty but … I didn't think she'd abuse him … Her boyfriend I had my suspicions and nothing to go off of but …" He shook his head.

"Jim will know what to do," Kristen said, getting out her phone and pulling up Lee's number in her contacts. "And I'm sure he'll help… Lee says he can get very protective when kids are involved." She hoped he was able to do something quickly … She hated the idea of leaving Rubix with Brittany for any length of time.

"Thank you." He said before starting to tidy up the few toys Rubix had left around on the floor, and tossing one of his tshirts down the stairs. He'd deal with that later.

"Hi, Lee?" Kristen said into the phone, a little uncertain how to broach the topic with her. "I'm sorry to bother you and Jim this afternoon, but… We need some legal and possibly investigative advice… It's about Rubix."

"Inves-" Lee paused confused. "Kristen what's going on?" She asked wondering why Kristen was calling and not Edward. It was his child after all.

"It's…" Kristen sighed. This was so hard to talk about… and she'd only just met the kid yesterday. It was just as well Edward had asked her to do this. She didn't know how he could have managed to get the words out. "He stays with his mother most of the time, and … and we found these bruises on him. She's already come back and taken him away again, but we managed to get some pictures… They look distinctly like adult handprints. We don't know if the mother's doing it, or her boyfriend … or …" She shook her head, though Lee couldn't possibly see that over the phone. "Edward's lawyer says it's not enough to go on, and we don't know what else to do."

Lee's eyes widened in shock, still not understanding why Edward wasn't calling himself. She definitely needed to have a sit down and talk with Kristen, though it was good she was there for Ed, this was a lot of stress to put on her. Then again she didn't know the situation fully.

"We can come over and talk if you like." Lee said. "I'm sure it'll be okay. We'll help."

"Thank you," Kristen said, relieved. "I'm sorry for bringing you two into this, but … we weren't sure who else to turn to."

"We'll be over in about twenty minutes." She said hanging up the phone as Ed looked up at Kristen.

"Thank you." He said, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of her hand.

"All I did was make a phone call," Kristen shrugged, looking up at Edward. "Lee says they'll help… They'll be here in twenty minutes."

Just over twenty minutes later there was a knock on the door and Edward answered it. "Hey, thanks for coming." Edward said as Jim and Lee stepped in.

"No problem. I wish it was over better circumstances." Jim said, his hands in his pockets.

"One day I should invite you over when there isn't a catastrophe going on." Ed said as he closed the door behind them.

"But I can't stress enough how much we appreciate it," Kristen added. There weren't that many other women at GCPD that Kristen could really talk to, and very few reliable people like Jim that they could count on.

"When did you say you found these bruises?" Lee asked, her expression calm but intently concerned.

"Just last night," Kristen said. "Edward managed to take better quality pictures of them … But that's all the evidence we have."

Edward handed Jim the picture's he'd printed out while they were on their way here. "These are the ones we found on him last night. The one on his side is very clearly from being hit, the ones on his arm are from being grabbed roughly. We both witnessed it happen again when she was here collecting him. She picked him up by his left arm and picked him straight up off the floor." He said clearly upset about it. "She could break his arm that way, he's just a kid."

Jim's expression tightened slightly as he looked over the pictures. "Let's sit down and talk about your options here … These are definitely enough for suspicion, but not enough to take custody away from her … Does she know that you suspect he's being abused?"

"I don't think so. What ever she knows I know, I doubt she cares. She doesn't exactly think I'd do anything about it. She always said I was …." He paused. "Anyway … I doubt she suspects I'm doing anything about it."

"I think your first step would be to find a lawyer who's going to help you. I'll ask around, see if I can find anyone who would be willing." Jim said shaking his head at the photos. "Do you think you'd be able to convince her to let you take him for a few days?"

"I doubt it … I was supposed to have him until tomorrow night … And I'm supposed to get him every second weekend, but as it is I only see him for a day or two every three to four months. She likes making excuses as to why I can't see him."

As Jim and Edward talked over the situation, Lee looked over at Kristen, who seemed anxious and stressed. Though, as far as Lee could see, Kristen had already done everything she could to help with the situation. As emotionally invested in this as she might have become, at the end of the day, this was still Edward's son they were talking about, not Kristen's. "Do you want to let them work this out, and go sit down somewhere?" Lee suggested quietly.

Kristen cast an uncertain, sidelong glance at Edward and Jim, but at this point, she wouldn't really be much help here. And she could use someone to talk to about all of this. "Okay," she said, gesturing to the trapdoor. "Could we talk downstairs, maybe?"

Lee nodded. "Yes, I remember." She said, following Kristen downstairs. She closed the door behind them, Ed glancing at them as they went downstairs but didn't stop them. Once they were alone downstairs Lee picked up the tshirt Ed had thrown down and placed it on the couch. "Are you okay?" Lee asked.

"I…" Kristen hesitated for a moment, before shaking her head. "I don't know." She crossed her arms absent-mindedly, as if she were cold. "It's… just a lot to deal with."

"It's great that you're helping him and all but … I hope he's not making you. You two just started dating and this is a big thing. Did he tell you he had a kid?" She asked, hoping this wasn't just sprung on her.

"It's not like that," Kristen said, before realizing that she sounded a little defensive. There was just so much that she couldn't explain, and she needed to be very careful where she drew the line between what she could and couldn't say. "He told me about Rubix," she explained, going to sit on the couch. "And that things weren't exactly … amicable between him and the ex. I just met the kid this weekend, though. Brittany, or whatever her name is, dropped him off without warning … Edward hasn't been making me deal with any of this, though. I'm here because I want to be."

"He seemed like a good kid. Hopefully Jim will be able to help." She said putting her hand on Kristen's shoulder. "It's very nice of you to want to help him but … Don't burn yourself out. Are you holding up okay?"

"I guess," Kristen said, though her voice sounded tired and strained. "Better than Ed's holding up, anyway … This has been really hard for him. I know he wanted better for Rubix than he …" She shook her head. "It's just really frustrating not to be able to really do much about it. I never expected to get so attached to the kid so quickly, and then to have to stand back and let that woman come take him away." It all just made her feel so helpless. "You should have seen how afraid of her they were. Edward and Rubix both."

Lee looked confused. She knew Edward was a rather meek person but she'd noticed him becoming more confident lately. And he was getting rather good at standing up for himself. "Why would Edward be scared of her?"

"I don't know," Kristen said quietly, at a loss for how to explain. "But he seemed… really intimidated by her. Granted, she… comes off as a pretty intimidating person," Kristen admitted, still remembering how inadequate Brittany had managed to make her feel.

"I think I'd like to meet her." Lee said. "I'd give her a what for!" She said holding up her fists jokingly. "Seriously though … If you, or Ed, ever need to talk you can call any time." She said putting her hand on Kristen's back comfortingly.

"Thanks, Lee," Kristen said, managing a tired smile. "Really. It's… good to know we have someone to talk to."

"Lee," Jim said as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Ed close behind him. "I'm going to head over to the GCPD, I'm going to see what I can do here."

"Alright," Lee said, going over and giving Jim a quick kiss. "You'll let me know if there's anything I can help with?" Right now, though, she wondered if she should really leave Kristen. She still seemed pretty shaken up about all of this.


	18. Chapter 18

Edward walked past the two police officers as they left the records annex, both of them glancing at Ed as he watched them leave. He shut the door behind them and approached Kristen, his hands in his pockets. "Taxing day?" He asked coming up beside the desk, watching her work.

"You could say that," Kristen sighed, adjusting her glasses as she labeled one of the overwhelming stack of new case files that had been brought in for her to deal with. Every damn cop who'd come in here today had wanted the files they needed to be retrieved before anyone else's, which had left very little time to get the new ones sorted. She looked up at Edward tiredly. "You?"

"You have no idea." He said coming up behind her, behind her low back chair. His hand moved over her shoulder before he leaned down and kissed her neck.

"Mmm… I think I know what we're doing after work," she said softly, her eyes closing for a moment as he kissed her.

"That's so far away. I still have five hours left on my shift. It's only lunch." He said, his hands trailing down her arms before moving forward and cupping her breasts through her shirt as he licked a trail up to her neck.

"Edward," Kristen gasped, startled, opening her eyes. "We.. We can't do that here. Someone could walk in." People had been barging through that door all day. She had no reason to think they would stop now. If they were caught fooling around at work … Well, Barnes was strict on professionalism. And records keepers weren't exactly irreplaceable.

"And?" He asked, his hands moving lower until they reached the bottom of her shirt. "It'll be fine. If anyone does walk in … Do you really think they'd be brave enough to admit it …. And if they did, do you really think anyone would believe we'd do such a thing. Being such …. Upstanding employees and citizens. We'd never do anything so terribly wrong." He whispered in her ear.

"But …" Kristen shivered as he whispered in her ear. He was irresistible when he was this forceful, but she didn't want to risk her job. "It's not that simple … We could get in serious trouble."

"We could … But we've gotten away with worse." He said kissing her neck and lifting up her shirt just slightly. "I want you … It's been a …. Stressing day so far. By the looks of it, for both of us. We need a bit of fun before we go back to our mundane jobs."

"That's … That's not the same thing," Kristen protested, though his hands felt so good on her … And he hadn't been this playful in a while. He had seemed almost depressed lately. Maybe they both needed this. "Are you really feeling that daring?"

"Most people are out to lunch or on cases, I doubt we'll be bothered." He said moving his hand under her skirt and pressing his fingers against her panties where he knew she was most sensitive. "Or do I need to try to be more persuasive?"

"I… You're…" Kristen was quickly losing track of what she was trying to say. She found herself pressing forward against him in her chair. "Already pretty persuasive."

"Really?" He asked with a wicked smirk. "Then why are you still sitting in that chair?" He asked removing his fingers from her skirt just giving her a little tease.

Kristen turned the chair and quickly got up, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him, still nervous that someone was going to walk in on them at any moment. But she couldn't deny that it was a little thrilling. She ran her fingers through his hair as she pressed against him, slipping her tongue into his mouth.

Edward gave a slight chuckle in the back of his throat before returning the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers as he pressed himself against her, pushing her back against the desk, his hard shaft pressed against her stomach through his pants.

Kristen's hands moved down Edward's back, going down to tug at the hem of his pants, before her hands moved around to the front, fumbling to undo Edward's belt.

Edward pulled away from her long enough to get his belt and his pants open, freeing his cock before his mouth was back on hers again. As much as he wanted to do this, she was right, they could get caught and the longer this took the higher the chance.

Moaning softly into the kiss, Kristen reached down, taking Edward's huge cock into her hand and stroking lightly.

Edward moaned quietly, his hips moving against her hand as his own moved down to lift her skirt. "I want you." He said kissing the soft flesh just before her ear. He froze when he heard something outside the door, his own heart seeming to stop as his eyes froze on the frosted glass. But within seconds whoever it was seemed to move on.

He let go of the breath he'd been holding and felt that familiar thrill of danger course through him.

Kristen didn't dare even breathe until the figure outside the door moved on. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. She was still terrified that they would be caught … But the adrenaline rushing through her just made her want him more. She wasn't sure, though, if Edward still felt the same

"Do you want to keep going?" she whispered, looking up at him, her hand still not leaving his hardened cock.

"Yes," he whispered before his mouth was back on her neck again, his hand pulling her skirt up.

"Good," Kristen murmured, once again beginning to stroke up and down his shaft, her thumb gently toying with the tip.

Edward moved his hand between her legs, pushing her panties to the side. He stroked his fingers over her, rubbing her clit.

Moaning softly as he touched her, Kristen rolled her hips forward slightly, her hand quickening the pace up and down his shaft, and she leaned forward, kissing the side of his neck.

Ed removed his fingers from her, moving his hands to her ass and lifting her up until she was sitting on the desk. He moved his hand to his shaft, moving her hand away from it before aligning it at her slick entrance.

Kristen's hands went to Edward's shoulders, steadying herself as Edward lifted her up onto the desk, and she leaned in to kiss him, her hands running over his back.

He slowly started pushing his hard cock into her, his hands on either side of the desk as he pushed her back, grateful that the desk was relatively empty. He moved her 'in out' organizer out of the way as he pressed her back against the desk.

Gasping as Edward pressed into her, Kristen's hips pushed forward against him, encouraging him to press deeper. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, still amazed that they were really doing this, right here on her desk.

Edward groaned quietly as he started moving inside of her thrusting deeper and deeper until he couldn't go any further, at least not without some discomfort to her. He leaned forward, his hands flat against the desk as he rolled his hips against her.

She continued to move against him in time with his thrusting, feeling him deep enough inside her that, while it wasn't uncomfortable yet, the feeling was still incredibly intense. A moan escaped her, a little louder than she'd anticipated, and she put a hand over her mouth, trying to keep herself quiet.

Edward groaned as he moved faster inside of her, his mouth moving over her collarbone where her shirt slipped open slightly.

Kristen's free hand ran lightly through Edward's hair as she moved against him, quickening her pace to keep up with his.

Edward groaned and paused when he heard the door to the annex room click open. He looked up to see Jim Gordon walk in.

"Hey Miss. Kri-" he paused when he saw what was going on and he looked mostly shocked but also slightly annoyed.

Kristen looked up, wide-eyed, at Jim standing in the doorway. Her face blushed a deep red. "I… We… This isn't…" She was completely mortified.

"I'm uh …. Going to pretend you're just making out … And come back later." He said stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him.

Edward laughed slightly as he looked down at her before laughing a little harder.

Kristen slumped back against the desk, her face still bright red with embarrassment. She covered her face with her hands. "I can't believe that just happened…" she said, before she burst out laughing too.

"Well, on the plus side that's one less person likely to come in here." He said with a laugh before he started moving against her again.

Kristen moaned as she felt Edward press into her again. She wrapped her arms around him as she leaned forward and nipped playfully at his ear.

He chuckled slightly as she got back into it again, before he pulled out of her and sat back in her chair. He held his hand out to her, silently asking her to come to him.

Smiling a little, Kristen got up and went over to him, straddling him on the chair, her skirt riding up around her hips as she leaned down and kissed him.

Edward realigned himself against her and pulled her down onto his shaft again. "God you feel so good." He said quietly, "And you're so beautiful." He said watching her move up and down on his shaft.

Blushing again at his words, Kristen looked down at him as her hips rocked forward against him, riding his cock. "Why, Mr. Nygma," she said quietly, leaning forward and kissing Edward's neck. "You're quite charming yourself."

"Is that all I am?" He asked bucking his hips up against her, feeling his orgasm starting to build as she rode him faster.

Kristen gasped as Edward thrust up into her, moaning at the intensity. "You're amazing," she whispered, continuing to kiss down his neck as she rode him harder. "And brilliant, and sexy…" Another moan escaped her.

"Well, now I know you're just flattering me." Edward said as he moved his hands to her ass while she moved over his cock over and over again. "Come for me Kristen." He said, ignoring the noises outside the door. Two people talking near Barnes' office.

Riding him harder and faster than before, Kristen felt his cock hitting just the right place inside her over and over again … She could hear people talking outside, and knew that if someone else caught them, the consequences could be much more dire, but she needed him too badly right now to stop. "Edward…" she murmured, running her hands through his hair feverishly, before she gasped, putting a hand over her mouth to stifle a low moan as she came, her inner walls clenching around him.

Edward remained still as she sought out her orgasm and felt himself tense with pleasure, his own orgasm chasing hers. He bit his lip as he moaned quietly, unable to stop himself.

Feeling Edward come inside her, Kristen leaned forward, kissing him, and continued to move her hips against him, though she started to slow down, letting Edward ride out his orgasm.

"You're amazing." He said quietly, slipping out of her. "We should uh … Right ourselves before someone walks in." He said with a slight smile. "Not that I'd complain, it would just mean they know you're all mine." He said leaning up and kissing her.

Kristen kissed him back and then nodded, blushing slightly. "Yes," she said, a little out of breath. "We should do that … I'd rather not risk my job, if it's all the same." She didn't think it would be an issue with Jim, though. He hadn't exactly been approving, and the next time they ran into him might be a little awkward, but she doubted he would go off and report this to anyone. She stood up a little shakily, trying to straighten her skirt and reposition her panties… Though she wouldn't get a chance to clean up properly until later. That was going to bother her.

"I'm sorry I uh … Should have pulled out." He said, though if he had it would have been an even bigger mess to clean.

"Don't worry about it," Kristen said, shaking her head. "Can you imagine if it had gotten all over the desk? This way worked out better." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Or worse … All over my shirt." He said tucking himself back into his pants and fixing his clothing. Once they were done correcting themselves they just looked like two employees having a casual conversation. Even if Edward was sweating a little, and Kristen was perhaps breathing a little too heavily.

"Yes, that would be hard to explain." She looked up at Edward, smiling, still blushing profusely. "I can't believe we just did that."

"I'm starting to think you have a more wicked streak than I do Miss. Kringle." Edward said with a slight chuckle. "Will you come over tonight?" He asked, pulling her into his arms again and kissing her neck. "I'll make you dinner." He said in a half serious bribe.

"God, that's tempting," Kristen said, leaning into his embrace. "But I've already made plans with my friend Deidre … And it's been so long since we've really spent time together. I'd feel bad if I cancelled on her."

"Then invite her over." He said. "Unless you're planning on having a girls night, I'd completely understand but … I wouldn't mind meeting one of your friends." He said though as soon as he said it he wondered if that would put Kristen in an awkward situation. Perhaps she didn't want them meeting.

"Well, I…" Kristen thought about it. She supposed that wouldn't be a bad idea. Given Kristen's recent history prior to Edward, Deirdre was probably concerned about this mysterious new boyfriend, and would likely want to meet Edward anyway. "I suppose I could do that. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not if that means I get to see you tonight." He said pinching her ass before stepping away from her.

Kristen smiled slightly. "Well, since you're so persuasive, I'll invite her over. But you should know, if she starts interrogating you relentlessly about your 'intentions,' I may not be able to stop her."

Edward groaned. "Fine." He said. "I should get back to work, I'm not officially on break." He said with a slight laugh. "I'll see you tonight."


	19. Chapter 19

"I'm serious," Kristen said, finding a couple of bobby pins behind a stack of mystery novels sitting on her night stand, and going back to fixing her hair. "Be nice." She had needed to go home to get cleaned up and change clothes anyway, so Deidre had agreed to meet her there.

"Why do you always insist on making me make promises we both know I'm not going to keep?" Deidre asked, picking up one of Kristen's brushes and running it through her dark hair. She was dressed - well … Typical for Deidre. Short skirt, shirt that went a little too far down her cleavage but … It was more respectable than what she usually wore. "You told me he's a nerd, you can't expect me to go through an entire night without a little teasing. And we both know since you don't have any parents to do so, I'm going to take their place and give him the interrogation." She said stubbing out what remained of her joint in an ashtray she'd left here the last time she'd stayed over here.

Kristen sighed. Deidre was right about one thing; for practical purposes, they both knew she had no family. She barely remembered her dad, and hadn't been on speaking terms with her mother for years. There was no point bringing a boyfriend home to meet her mother. Nothing she did ever met with her approval anyway.

"He doesn't need the interrogation," Kristen insisted. "He's sweet. I think I may have finally gotten it right for once."

"Not from what you told me last time." Deidre said skeptically as she picked up one of Kristen's shirts. "Really girl, we need to upgrade your wardrobe." She said tossing it down. "Grandma Auntpaw wouldn't even wear this."

"It's not his fault his father attacked him," Kristen said defensively. "I know I haven't made the best decisions lately, but can you please not hold that against him?" She picked up the shirt to go put it away, changing the subject. "And I happen to like my classic style, thank you very much."

"Classic? Kristen that's not even vintage …. It's so old I don't even know what century it's from." She said as Kristen's phone buzzed. Before she could pick it up Deidre snatched it off the table and flipped it open.

"You got a text from Ed." She said reading it over.

"Can I read it?" Kristen asked, mildly annoyed, holding out her hand.

"It says 'I got delayed at work, I'll still be home when you get there, but supper will be a bit later than anticipated. What do you want for dinner?' …. He doesn't abbreviate anything does he?" She asked reading it over again. "He seems anal about punctuation and spelling. I'd have abbreviated at least 65% of this." She said still not giving Kristen back her phone. "What do you want for supper?"

"Do you mind if I text him myself, please?" she said, making a grab for the phone.

She kept it out of Kristen's hands and texted back. "Liver with a side of fava beans and a nice Chianti." She texted before sending the text. They fought over the phone for a few moments before there was a reply back.

Deidre flipped her phone open again and laughed. "Your boyfriend is smart."

"I told you he was smart, but you substituted that with 'nerd'," Kristen said, grabbing Deidre's arm and attempting to pry the the phone out of her hand. "Now will you please give me the phone?"

Deidre sighed as she exaggeratedly handed her the phone. "Fine."

The text he'd sent said "Hello Deidre." As Kristen got the phone back it pinged again.

'Seriously, what do you want for supper?'

Following some mild bickering about whether Kristen needed to see Silence of the Lambs as a mandatory requirement for true film appreciation, and whether her intent to read the book counted, they arrived at the door to Edward's apartment. Kristen unlocked the door and let them both in.

"Hi, Edward," she called out, announcing their presence. "I'd like you to meet this miscreant phone thief who followed me here."

Edward gasped when Deidre walked in and turned around, finishing tucking in his shirt and doing up his pants as he'd been getting dressed. "Kristen … Please remember my bedroom is also right by the door." He said his face turning red with embarrassment as he buttoned a few of the buttons on his shirt and looked around for his tie. "Hello." He said to Deidre. "Sorry, I just got in a few minutes ago I didn't think you'd be here already."

"I- I'm sorry, Edward," Kristen said, blushing profusely, and reaching over to put a hand over Deidre's eyes, but Deidre swatted it away. "I should have knocked." Even if Edward knew they were coming over, she should have realized that he would probably want to change when he got home too.

"It's okay." Edward said. "Make yourselves at home. I was just about to make supper … It'll be about half an hour so …. Do whatever you like." He said picking his tie up off the bed.

"You know you don't have to put on a tie for us, right?" Kristen said, smiling slightly. The green button-down shirt looked just fine without it, especially with the collar unbuttoned. He was usually so put-together. Seeing him in more casual attire was always cute …

Edward looked up at her, his cheeks tinting pink. "I know … I just … Usually wear one." He said looking down at the tie a moment before putting it on the dresser.

"Will you let us help with dinner?" Kristen asked. She knew what the answer usually was, but she still felt bad about walking in on him like that with Deidre.

Edward smiled slightly.

"I turn polar bears white

and I will make you cry.

I make guys have to pee

and girls comb their hair.

I make celebrities look stupid

and normal people look like celebrities.

I turn pancakes brown

and make your champagne bubble.

If you sqeeze me, I'll pop.

If you look at me, you'll pop.

Can you guess the riddle?" He asked smugly.

"The answer is 'No.'" Deidre said. Edward looked at her surprised she's gotten it so quickly. He'd met Harvard students who couldn't even puzzle that one out.

Kristen chuckled slightly at the look of surprise on Edward's face. Deidre was many things, but she had never been slow on the uptake. "Admittedly, I think the context of the conversation may have helped a little."

"Either that or he's completely off his rocker and wasn't actually asking a riddle, just uttering nonsense. But since it was a riddle … And the answer was no … We'll let him do the cooking. I'm horrid at it anyway, and you're worse than me." Deidre laughed as Ed moved to the kitchen area to start preparing dinner.

"How am I supposed to improve if I never get to help?" Kristen said, crossing her arms with a mildly petulant look. But so far, everyone seemed to be getting along well enough, and she was happy with that. She looked over at Deidre. "Bet I can beat you at Mario Kart," she said.

Edward was glad he had his back to them at the counter when he started smirking at that. Hopefully he wouldn't come downstairs to find Kristen trying to 'distract' her as she had with him their last round of Mario kart.

"Sounds good." Deidre said.

Kristen led the way downstairs to the game room, put in Mario Kart, and handed Deidre a controller. "So…" she said a little anxiously. "First impressions so far?"

"Well, that was definitely not a banana he was hiding there." She said with a slight laugh. "I'll admit, for a second there I thought he actually had a boner but … Yikes girl …" She said teasingly.

"Really?" Kristen laughed, shoving her arm rebukingly. "That's the first thing you noticed? And here I thought you were concerned about my judgment, not my sex life."

"Hey I have to look out for you in every aspect. Someone has too." Deidre said. "Maybe you'd let me borrow him some time?" She asked plunking down on the couch and winking at Kristen. "By the size of him, I'd love to take him for a ride."

"Excuse you!" Kristen said, blushing, though she wasn't terribly shocked. This was Deidre, after all. "My boyfriend is not a toy. Now pick a character already and stop delaying your inevitable defeat."

"Sure … But he'd make a great toy." She said picking up the controller and picking Dry Bones. "Come on you won't share? Even for a little bit?" She asked putting the controller down again. "How about I go ask him?" She said getting off the couch.

"Don't you dare!" Kristen said, catching hold of her arm before she could head to the trapdoor. "He's shy. You'll make him uncomfortable. Also, if you leave the race, I'm going to declare myself winner by default."

Deidre fell back onto the couch laughing. "Alright, alright." She said. "But seriously …. You two ever break up. He's up for grabs. None of this off limits bull shit. He has a nice dick, and I haven't even seen it yet." She laughed teasingly, "I'll even let you watch if you want." She said laughing a bit harder when she heard a pot hit the floor upstairs.

Kristen groaned with embarrassment, her face turning bright red, and she buried her face in her hands. "Great," she said, mortified. "He heard you. Why can't you tone it down, just for one evening?"

"Fine." Deidre said, sounding rather annoyed as the race started. "You're no fun."

"I can be fun," Kristen objected, as she sped into the lead. "Just without you objectifying my boyfriend, that's all."

"Not objectifying if he's a willing participant." Deidre said as she sped around a corner and crashed into a wall. To be honest she always hated video games because she was never any good with them. Though by the look of Edward's impressive collection, if Kristen had any intentions of staying with him, she'd have to start practicing. Perhaps she could convince Edward to give her …. Private lessons. Though as much as she teased Kristen, she wouldn't do anything with Edward without both of their consent.

Kristen shook her head. "You're incorrigible, you know that?" She said, as she passed the finish line.

"Oh come on, I just started!" Deidre said tossing down the controller. "So, now that that distraction is over. Back to the topic of your boyfriend's penis …" She said turning to look at Kristen.

"I think you've already said everything needs to be said about it," she said wryly, though she couldn't help being slightly amused.

"Supper's ready, if you're quite done talking about my private parts." Ed said down the stairs sounding mildly annoyed as he headed back to the kitchen again and started taking the food over to the table. Deidre snickered, and she actually blushed slightly as she looked at Kristen.

"I told you you were making him uncomfortable," Kristen said, shaking her head as she went back up the stairs. She was beginning to think that maybe Deidre and Edward being in the same place might not be such a good idea after all.

"He'll be fine." She said flicking Kristen in the nose and heading towards the stairs. "He's a grown man, he can handle himself." She said with a wicked smirk, meaning she was clearly taking that another way.

Kristen shoved her, still moderately annoyed. "I'm not sure anyone can handle you … When I said to be nice, I had no idea you were going to be quite so over-friendly."

"Hey hey, no shoving on the stairs!" She said reaching the top. She smiled at Ed as she got upstairs, his entire face red from ear to ear as he placed the last plate of food onto the table.

"I'm sorry about that," Kristen said quietly, still blushing as well, wincing at how uncomfortable Edward looked. "Sometimes she just … says whatever pops into her head." She didn't know how to explain it exactly. She knew Deidre didn't mean anything by it exactly… But sometimes she forgot that not everyone knew Deidre as well as she did.

"It's uh …. It's okay." He said. "At least she's not insulting it." He said with a slight shrug of his shoulders, his face turning even redder.

"True," Kristen said, smiling at the unexpected response. For Edward, in front of other people, that was almost crude. She relaxed a little as she looked over at Deidre. "Then I really would be mad."

Edward smiled slightly as he pulled out Kristen's chair. "Aw, look he's such a gentleman." She teased sitting at the table across from Kristen. Edward shook his head as he sat down at the side of the table.

"I told you those exist," said Kristen, smiling a little. "This looks amazing, Edward," she added.

"Did you expect anything less?" Edward asked, his face slowly turning back to it's normal colour.

"Oh, and cocky too!" Deidre said digging into her food.

"Only when it comes to my cooking." Edward said, picking up his own fork and starting to eat. Deidre moaned and looked at Kristen with surprise.

"And rightfully so!" She said. "This is amazing!"

"It always is," Kristen said, taking a bite. "Edward is ridiculously talented. I'm completely spoiled."

Deidre looked up at her with a smile. "I can see that." She said trying not to laugh as she took another bite. Edward shook his head and picked at his food a moment before taking another bite.

"Are you calling me fat?" Kristen laughed, kicking Deidre under the table.

Deidre kicked her back as Ed spoke up. "She certainly called something fat." He said casually, taking another bite of his food as if he were commenting on the weather, instead of making a rather crude comment.

"Edward!" Kristen said, looking over at him in shock. That was nowhere near Deidre's level of vulgarity, but she still hadn't expected it from him.

"Yes dear?" He asked innocently making Deidre laugh.

Kristen shook her head, unable to help smiling. "Incorrigible," she said. "Both of you."

"And here you were worried I wouldn't like your …. What did you call him? Your boy toy?" She asked, clearly joking.

"Sorry," Edward said. "I'm way too active of a participant to be classified in the toy category."

Kristen burst out laughing. "I give up," she said. "Carry on." His face was still red, but Edward didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable as he had before. In fact, his confident side seemed to have sprung to the forefront in a way that she had only seen before when they were alone. After the initial shock, they seemed to be getting along swimmingly… Though it was distinctly possible that she had created a monster.

"Oh well, now that we have permission it's no fun." Deidre said tossing a pea at Kristen.

" 'We'?" Kristen repeated, raising an eyebrow and looking over at Edward. "You're in cahoots now?" She was sure it was all just harmless banter, but the two of them were getting downright flirtatious.

Awhile after dinner, Kristen stepped out to go to the restroom, giving Deidre a strict warning to behave herself while she was gone.

Edward finished up washing the dishes as Kristen left the room and came back to the table.

"So, Ed," Deidre said, leaning back in her chair and regarding Edward with an appraising gaze. "You cook, you don't let anyone help with dishes, you pull out chairs, you collect games, which … Admittedly, not a big selling point for me, but Kristen was always kind of an arcade junkie in college …" She shook her head. "She said you were sweet and all, but you seem a little too good to be true."

"Um … Thank you?" He asked confused, not sure how to really respond to that.

"But you can't be this nice all the time," she said, crossing her arms. "No one is. After what happened, you really don't have any resentment toward her at all?"

Edward looked confused. "After … What happened?" He asked looking at her, his eyebrow raised in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't-"

"Don't play dumb with me, Ed," Deidre said flatly. "It doesn't suit you. She may have only done it to protect you … God knows she's never hurt a fly before … But that was still your father. Are you sure you don't hold it against her, not even a little?"

"What are you-" he paused and glanced at the bathroom door where Kristen was. "She told you." Edward said quietly. "That man was a brute … And a menace. And he got off easy in comparison to what he deserved …" He said staring down at the table.

'She knows Eddie … She'll call the cops.'

"No she won't." Edward whispered quietly before he realized he'd said it out loud. "Kristen didn't kill him …" He said. Ed kept his eyes trained on the table, his entire body tense and unmoving as the hallucination walked around Deidre.

'She knows, are you just going to let her go? She'll rat you out! You can't trust her!"

"Who won't do what?" Deidre asked, a little creeped out by his manner. Was he having one of those hallucinations Kristen had mentioned? Great … She might have just brought on an episode. And she sure as hell wasn't qualified to talk him down from it. "Look, Kristen didn't mean to tell me anything, okay? She was distraught and I figured it out that she killed him." And that was the version of events she was sticking to. Because if Kristen wasn't really the one who had killed him … Deidre needed to tread very carefully here.

"I just told you … She didn't kill him." Edward said as the hallucination leaned forward on the table facing him, coming closer.

'Why are you confessing this to her?!' It asked loudly, though no one could hear it but him. 'Let her believe it was Kristen! She won't tell anyone on her friend! She's a stranger! Don't trust her!' Edward backed away from the hallucination slightly, looking like he was leaning back in his chair.

"Okay," Deidre said slowly. Edward still seemed unfocused, as if he were paying attention to something else. "Well, I don't really care who killed him. It sounds like there wasn't much choice at the time anyway. All I care about is that Kristen's okay. You understand that, right?"

The bathroom door opened, and Kristen came back out. She looked back and forth from Deidre to Edward, seeing the look on his face. "What's going on?" She asked quietly.

Ed looked in her direction, but kept his eyes mainly to the floor just to her right. "Nothing." He said standing up, though he was clearly upset.

'Oh yes, nothing. That much is obvious.' The hallucination said sarcastically, following him.

"I'm going for a walk." He said leaving the apartment without grabbing his coat first, despite the chilly weather outside.

Kristen watched him leave, bewildered and upset, before she founded on Deidre. "What did you say to him?" she demanded.

"I …." Deidre paused. Perhaps she was out of line in confronting Ed, but she couldn't be blamed for worrying. "I was just worried about you … After his reaction I'm more worried about you."

"What," Kristen repeated, staring back at her. "Did you say to him?"

"I was worried he'd take out his anger on you, that he was penting it up after what happened with his dad." She said honestly. "I just wanted to know he didn't hold it against you … But he said you didn't kill him. And that frightens me even more than if you had." She said standing up. "Kristen … What if he hurts you? Just by asking him a question I saw him change into an entirely different person. He looked … He looked like he wanted to hurt me." She said. "It was almost like he was fighting some internal battle … What if that's you and you're alone with him …. What if he doesn't win that internal battle?"

"You brought that up to him!?" Kristen said, alarmed and furious. "Deidre, how could you think that was a good idea? That was completely out of line! Can you blame him for acting a little weird in response to that? Edward's not going to hurt me, Deidre. If he were going to, don't you think it would have happened before now? But clearly you don't think I can handle myself well enough to make my own decisions."

"Hey, you're the one who came to me with the exact same concerns. And maybe he won't hurt you, but who's to say this 'other voice' won't? He's not seeking help yet is he? What if it gets worse? Actually no … Scratch that. I may not have graduated high school but I know mental health gets worse if not treated." She said. "I'm just worried about you Kristen … I already lost you once for a few years I can't lose you permanently!"

"It's not that simple," Kristen insisted, exasperated. "He needs to be ready to talk to someone, and if it's the wrong doctor… Things could go really badly for him. And there's a lot of stigma involved. People might try to get him fired if they knew. He's not exactly popular at work as it is. If this isn't handled carefully, it could ruin his whole life."

"And if it's not handled quickly, it could ruin yours!" Deidre said. "You saw how mad he was when he left, Kristen, don't be here alone when he comes back. Come stay with me tonight." She said taking Kristen's hand.

"I told you, he's not going to hurt me!" Kristen snapped, pulling her hand away. "He's been mad before plenty of times," though never this mad at her. "And he's never hurt me before." Though this time, a part of her wondered. None of the others had ever hurt her before, right up until the first time when they did. But Edward was different. And she wasn't going to abandon him because of a mental illness. "And right now, he's wandering around Gotham at night in that state!" She gestured wildly. "Anything could happen to him! I'm staying here until I know he's okay! You can go home. You've done enough damage here already." She knew Deidre had meant well, but right now she was too angry and scared and worried to take it back.

"Kristen I can't leave you alone here with him …." She paused as Kristen glared at her. She knew that look all too well and she knew she overstepped her boundaries. "You can't blame me for worrying Kristen." She said picking up her jacket from the back of the chair. "I'll see you around just … Be careful please."

"I'll call you," Kristen promised grudgingly. She understood the worry, and couldn't quite shake the feeling that Deidre just might be right. But she was just as worried about Edward right now.

What if he was having another hallucination episode? What if he got hurt? What if, however unlikely, he hurt someone else? Even if none of those things happened, he knew now that she'd told Deidre about what had happened with his father … Even if she had downplayed his role in the bastard's demise and exaggerated hers, she had still told Deidre. He didn't know how beside herself she had been, and how desperately she'd needed to talk to a friend who wasn't involved, to get a rational outside opinion that she hadn't completely lost her mind. He didn't know that she'd had no intention of disclosing what had happened, that Deidre had worked it out from context.

He had to feel completely betrayed, exposed … And he had no one to blame but her. Even if she had no reason to feel afraid of him… And why should she? This was Edward, not Dougherty… He wouldn't be able to trust her again. She could very well lose him after this.

She paced for a long time, unable to sit still, unable to shake the tension in every nerve, unable to get rid of the nauseous knotting in her stomach. She tried, for the first hour, to give Edward his space. After that, she tried to call him. There was no answer, and the words caught in her throat so she couldn't leave a message. The hours passed. She worried more. It was late. This was Gotham. Edward was out there, alone, in the dark, distracted … A million horrible possibilities played out in her mind. 12:30 found her sitting on the couch, red-eyed, worn out from pacing but still restless, clutching her phone in her hand, wondering whether it would be worse to call again or not to call, wondering what she should say if she got his voicemail again.

There was a quiet click in the lock before the door slid open. Ed walked into the door, his hands red from the cold but he didn't seem to mind. He paused when he noticed Kristen still here. "Oh … You're still here." He said tossing his keys down on the table and kicked his shoes off.

Kristen winced at his words, though coldness was really the best she had expected. "I… was worried," she said quietly. "Do you want me to leave?"

"It's late." He said as he walked past her. "Stay here." He said grabbing his pillow and one of the thinner blankets and heading towards the trap door to go downstairs.

Kristen shook her head. "Don't bother," she said quietly, picking up her purse and heading for the door. "You don't want me here. I'll leave." Edward was home safe, and as calm as could be expected. She could stop worrying about that at least. But he was still in no mood to hear her explain herself, and she didn't know where to begin anyway. It was better if they gave each other some space.

As she started to open the door Edward reached her side and slammed it shut again. "No …" He said. "You're not going out this late, not in this area." He said, his voice stern but slightly … Off … Almost detached.

Kristen flinched involuntarily as the door slammed, taking a step back before she could stop herself, but nothing happened. "Fine," she said, because it made sense. But she wanted to argue that maybe, just maybe, he should have taken his own damn advice, if he was so safety-conscious all of a sudden. She was so sick of people telling her what to do for her own good tonight … But she was tired, and Edward had been through enough already, and she didn't know how to respond to this … detachment in his voice. Shouting or crying or even violence she knew how to deal with. But this scared her in a way that was completely unfamiliar.

Edward snapped the lock shut again and moved back to the pillow and blanket he dropped. "Thank you." He said tossing it back onto the bed on his side before moving to the dresser to pull out a pair of pajamas.

"For what?" Kristen said cautiously, putting her purse back down. "I seem to have royally messed up everything."

"For not leaving. I'm upset Kristen, But I don't want you dead ... or worse …" He said annoyed. "You've seen the case files that come through there, don't tell me you don't know what Gotham is like at night."

"Maybe," Kristen said, crossing her arms. If he was really talking to her, she couldn't help pointing out the hypocrisy. "But that didn't stop you from going out there at night for hours on end."

"Would you have preferred I stayed and talked to the hallucinations here in front of your friend? …. I'm sure that would have ended well." He said sarcastically as he took his pants off and tossed them into the laundry hamper, his shirt following after, leaving him in a pair of boxers and his under shirt.

"It could have ended a lot worse out there," Kristen said, trying hard to keep her voice even, but she was so upset right now. She didn't know why Edward was even bothering. He would probably break up with her later anyway. "There are so, so many terrible things that could have happened, which only seem to be occurring to you just now. You scared me to death, Edward."

"Funny, you didn't seem too concerned with what would happen to me if your friend told someone I killed my father." He said sitting down on the bed and pulling off his socks. He tossed them into the hamper as well before clicking on his alarm clock.

"That's …" Kristen's throat felt tight. She looked down at the floor. This was unfamiliar territory for her. They were definitely fighting, there was no denying that. But it was civil. He was clearly still angry, but there were no personal attacks to defend herself from, no flying dishes, no fists, no broken bones. She was left to face how much she had upset him head-on. "I … Didn't tell her you killed anyone," she said quietly. It felt like a confession. "I told her I did. I shouldn't have told her anything at all, I know that, but … She's not going to tell anyone."

"You didn't kill him Kristen." Edward said. "I did. And how do you know she wouldn't spin it on me even if you had?" He asked. "Tell them I did it … Even if she hinted there would be an investigation. Jim already suspects I'm doing something being associated with Penguin, and what else will that lead him too? Finding my father's body? The Hunter? Leonard? Dougherty?" He asked turning to look at her from where he sat on the bed.

"Deidre isn't going to tell anyone, least of all the police," Kristen insisted, forcing herself to look up again. "I know her better than anyone. She can be trusted. Otherwise I would never have …" she shook her head. "If you don't trust me after this, that's … I understand. But I would never risk endangering you."

Edward looked away from her and stared at the floor. "And if she finds out about the others?"

"I'm an accomplice for the others," Kristen pointed out. "She wouldn't report it. And she's committed enough felonies herself that going to the cops would be unwise."

"Somehow with how she was interrogating me, I doubt she's ever killed anyone before." Edward said getting off the bed and pulling out a tshirt and tossing it to her. "Do you want a pair of pajama pants too?" He asked, knowing she didn't have anything here.

"I …" Kristen was thrown off momentarily by the polite offer. "Yes please," she said, more confused than ever about where she stood with Edward. "You're right; Deidre's not a killer, but multiple counts of armed robbery are still generally frowned upon."

Edward tossed her a pair of pajama pants towards her and moved back to the bed again. "I take it she tried to talk you into leaving me?" He asked. He knew Deidre was right to have her concerns, but she wouldn't have those concerns if Kristen hadn't told her. There was no way, no matter what happened, he'd ever hurt Kristen intentionally.

"She didn't think I should stay here alone with you tonight, if that's what you mean," Kristen admitted, her tone slightly strained, slipping off her skirt before pulling on the pajama pants.

"And yet you're still here." He said quietly. He honestly still didn't understand why she was … Every other woman ran for the hills for less. It made him wonder if he was … He shook that thought from his head … No he couldn't be. But … Now that the thought was there it wouldn't leave.

Kristen looked back at him. "I told you, I was worried," she said, before looking away as she unbuttoned her blouse, leaving the lacy camisole underneath. "I won't pretend it didn't occur to me that I should leave, but … I know you better than Deidre does."

It occurred to her to leave. So she was on some level scared of him. "You know I'd never hurt you … Right?" He asked as he climbed into bed, pulling the blankets back for her.

"I don't believe that you would," Kristen told him seriously, hesitating, half-surprised that he pulled back the blankets for her. As angry as he still was, she was surprised that he still wanted to be near her. Tentatively, she got into bed next to him. "But … There's a part of me that keeps worrying if that might change. I guess the past has made me a little paranoid."

Edward laid in bed next to her, unsure of what to say before he clicked off the lamp, the neon "Toys & Games" sign outside shining through the blinds.

He laid in bed a few moments before he spoke up again. "Kristen … If I asked you a question …. Would you be100% honest with me?"

Kristen nodded, confused. "I promise," she said. "What is it?"

"Am …" He paused not sure how to ask this. "If you were an outside viewer looking in on our relationship … Like an outside viewer that had all the facts and knew everything that went on …. Would you think … Do you think … Am I abusive?" He asked, worry clear in his voice.

"What?" Kristen turned over to face him, stunned. "Edward, no," she said, feeling terrible that he would think that. She thought it over, as he had asked, as objectively as possible, and shook her head. "No," she insisted firmly, putting a hand reassuringly on Edward's shoulder. "Never."

"I don't mean physically. We both know I'd never hurt you physically, and I'm pretty sure the day I did would be the day I wake up in the hospital six months later with no memory of how I got there." He said half joking. "But … Mentally. In a way that's worse …"

"No," Kristen insisted. "Edward, I've been on the receiving end of that before. I know what it feels like. That's not you. You don't put me down. You don't make me feel … lesser. You don't belittle me in any way. You don't try to intimidate me … You're doubting yourself right now over the very idea that you might scare me. You're not controlling. I'm always looking out for the signs now, whether I want to or not, and I'm just not finding them … The only thing I can think of was that time with the locked door, but … You just wanted to keep me safe, and you were concussed, for God's sake. And even then, when I explained why it upset me so much, you listened to me." Kristen shook her head. "You have been nothing but sweet and kind and respectful to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't still be here."

"And yet you've seen me kill three people … One of them my own father, one an innocent man, one a man who was tied to a chair and unable to defend himself. I harboured a known criminal for over a week, helped him torture a man to death. You accepted my confession that I killed your boyfriend, and shortly after took his place … You cut up a dead body for me … Helped me hide the evidence … If that's not some kind of abuse then what is it?"

"That was me making a choice to be here for you," Kristen said firmly. "And you respecting that choice. You never made me stick around for any of that … There were times when you even tried to push me away to protect me from it. And after finding out about Cobblepot's mother … I don't recall objecting to the Leonard thing."

"But what if this continues?" He asked. "What if I killed again? And again? And again? Are you going to keep reasoning why I'm doing it?" He asked. "What if this is our relationship, and it doesn't change?"

"I …" Kristen fidgeted uncomfortably. "I don't know," she confessed. "But … In that scenario, if I stay or go, isn't that my choice? You haven't pressured me into anything before, and I don't think you're about to in the future. You … don't think you're likely to kill anyone else, do you?"

Edward lay on his back, his hands behind his head. Did he enjoy killing? … Yes he did. It was … Thrilling … But it was lacking something and in a way he had enough curiosity to want to find out just what it was … He was silent for a moment, not saying anything.

"Edward?" Kristen asked uncertainly, not sure how to phrase the question, or which part of it to ask. "Why do you think it might happen again?"

"I …." He paused and kept staring at the ceiling. How would she ever understand? "Nevermind … I shouldn't have even brought it up."

Kristen took Edward's hand in hers. "Why do you think it might happen again?" she repeated quietly. "Is it … because of the hallucinations? Because that doesn't necessarily …" She shook her head. "Or is it something else?"

"It's …." He paused again. She wouldn't understand. "Because I enjoyed it." He said so quietly even he barely heard it.

She froze. "You … what?" she whispered.

"I enjoyed it." He said flatly, a little louder this time.

"What? That …" Kristen shook her head. She'd been afraid of that, she really had. But when each killing was justifiable, she had been able to avoid thinking about it. She sat up, arms crossed around herself, shaking. "I just had to ask, didn't I?" She said, her voice shaking despite her best efforts. "Since when? From the first, or … or what?" She didn't know what to do about this. She had already accepted the killings themselves. It wasn't as if Edward could help that he liked it. Regardless of how he felt about it internally, the actions were the same. They were just as dead. But she didn't know where this might lead. It was all completely insane. She felt crazy for sticking around, just having this conversation.

"I don't know …" He said honestly. "But I feel like something is missing. Like … It's incomplete." He said with a slight shrug moving up onto his elbows and looking at her. She was clearly upset about this.

"Incomplete?" She repeated, looking down at him. "Edward, you're talking about killing people!" She shook her head. "What … What is it about it that you like?" She had to admit, she hadn't been immune to the adrenaline rush herself, but … She had preferred not to think about the implications. "Do you know?"

"I think it's the rush … It's … Thrilling. Perhaps a bit of being in control of something … Someone." He said. "Not being the victim for once."

Kristen looked away and was quiet for a long moment, her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her knees. Finally, she broke the silence. "Not feeling helpless," she said, her voice calmer than it had been before. She understood more than she wanted to.

Edward sat up next to her. "You're not …" He paused and licked his lips nervously. "Yeah … That's … That's exactly it."

"I wish I could say I didn't understand it," she whispered, before she looked over at Edward. "This is getting out of hand."

"So you keep saying." Edward said laying back down with a sigh. "It's beyond getting out of hand at this point, it's already out of hand."

"I know," Kristen admitted, lying down next to him and putting an arm around him. She didn't know if he was still angry with her or not, but right now she wanted more than ever for him to just hold her. "How did we even get to this point?"

"Progressively." He said putting his arm around her.

Kristen settled close against him, taking comfort in his presence in the green-tinted darkness. "Do you understand," she asked quietly. "Why I told her? Everything just got so overwhelming. It's all mixed up, and I didn't know what to do."

"I still don't like it. I trusted you … And you told her anyway. She doesn't know me … You had no idea how she would react to this." He said quietly. "Even if you assumed best case scenario … There's no way you would have known for sure and you still told her anyway. How would you have felt if I told someone, and you didn't find out until weeks later, and not from me, but from the person I told. Not only did you tell her, but you kept that from me as well."

"I know," Kristen said quietly, tears starting to prick at her eyes. Finding out that way had clearly been nothing short of traumatic for him. "I shouldn't have told her, or I should have at least told you I told her, or…" She shook her head. "I should have handled it differently. I'm sorry for that. I don't blame you for not trusting me anymore."

Edward didn't say anything, he wanted to trust her, he really did. And he wanted to trust this Deidre …. But … He'd been betrayed so many times he had no idea how to handle this.


	20. Chapter 20

Apprehensively, Kristen dialed Deidre's number, and waited while the phone rang. She had promised she would call, and the three of them needed to talk through everything that had happened.

Deidre saw Kristen's number on her cell and swallowed nervously. She knew this call was coming, but didn't think it would be so soon.

"Hello." She said, already knowing who it was.

"Hey," Kristen said, her tone a little subdued. "First off, I'm okay, so … You don't need to worry about that. Edward wandered in pretty late, and still pretty shaken up, but a lot calmer. He's okay too."

"What happened when he got home?" She asked, wondering just how much truth was in what Kristen was saying. She knew Kristen tended to downplay what happened with her boyfriends.

"That's …" Kristen caught herself about to get defensive, and sighed. "A fair question. He was still angry, obviously. He felt pretty betrayed. But he wasn't aggressive. He was more … cold, at first. He didn't want me to leave, though, because it was after midnight by then and … You know Gotham. We talked. It was civil. There wasn't even any yelling. And then we went to bed."

"Why do I have the feeling you're lying to me? You've done it before. There's no way he'd be that civil after … After what happened. What about the hallucinations? The guy seemed to he trippin balls when he left."

"Deidre, I'm not lying to you," Kristen said, angry. "If you can't believe me, then I'm not sure what the point of telling you is. I was surprised by it too, but by the time he came back, the hallucinations were gone, and we talked about what was upsetting us like two reasonable adults."

Deidre sighed, clearly unconvinced. "Okay … I'll trust you but promise me if anything happens … You'll come to me!"

"I will," Kristen reassured her. "I promise. And I'm sorry I got so angry. I should have known that telling you would bring you into this, and you would handle things your own way. You're only trying to look out for me. And I appreciate it."

"Well, to be fair I should have ran it by you first. It's just … I wanted to see how he was out of his safe element … No one is THAT perfect. He seems so innocent and genuine …. If he's not abusive then there's only one other explanation."

"And what might that be?" Kristen asked cautiously.

"Well it's obvious isn't it? He's got to get that energy out somehow … So he's either really great in bed, or really rough. Possibly both."

Kristen burst out laughing. "Well, if you must know, he's fantastic," Kristen admitted. "But the three of us need to sit down and talk about more serious matters … Try to work our way through this mess."

"Aw but mooooom!" Deidre whined, kicking her feet even though Kristen couldn't see it.

"Young lady," Kristen said, jokingly adopting a stern, scolding voice. "I don't want to hear any of your tantrums. You're going to talk to me and Edward, and that's final."

Deidre laughed slightly. "Yeah, I kind of figured. When did you want to get together. I'm kind of between jobs at the moment … So whenever you want."

"That thing the temp agency found you didn't work out?" Kristen asked, concerned. The last time Deidre had been 'between jobs' she'd damn near gotten caught holding up a gas station.

"Naw, they caught me stealing from the register." She said with a shrug. "Manager was a dank anyway." She said raising her hand and picking some peeling paint off the wall.

"You have got to stop doing that," Kristen sighed, shaking her head. "At least at places you work, anyway. Even in Gotham, that's still not a good idea." Maybe more so, since there was always the off chance that your place of work had mob affiliations. "We both have off tomorrow, so come by my place around three-ish?"

"Okay, see you then." She said hanging up the phone without saying good bye, but that was typical of her.

The following afternoon, Kristen heard a knock at the door right on schedule. "Hey," she said, letting Deidre in. "Ed got called in today after all, but he just got out, and should be here before too long."

True to her word not even ten minutes later Ed knocked at the door.

"Hi," Kristen said, opening the door a little nervously. Edward had dropped her off here more than a few times, but he hadn't ever really been inside. The two of them just seemed to end up spending time at his place. "Was it complete pandemonium, or were they just short on competence?"

Perhaps a little nicer than chez Edward in terms of location, but a good deal smaller and far less interesting in its layout, Kristen's apartment seemed to be comprised entirely of books and cosy places to read them. All available wall space was devoted to shelves full of books, most arranged alphabetically by author. End tables displayed tidy stacks of them, and even the kitchen table had one or two recent reads sitting there, waiting to be picked up again. The subjects varied some; there was a respectable grouping of classics, a decent science fiction section, a growing horror selection, and the odd conglomeration of questionable romance novels that Deidre had thrown her way over the years, but the vast majority seemed to be mystery novels. A comfy chair was tucked into a corner, always near a good light source.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked, as she showed Edward to the kitchen table, where Deidre was sitting with a steaming cup of tea.

"Water, please." He said taking off his jacket and hanging it on a coat rack nailed to the wall by the door. "It seemed Carter thought it a good idea to quit without notice and the other forensics scientist they had on shift was …. Well, let's say Rubix would do a more competent job of it." He said not looking at Deidre as he came into the kitchen.

"At least someone had the good sense to call you," Kristen said, filling a glass of water for Edward and coming back to the table. She handed it to him as she sat down, feeling the unspoken tension of the situation begin to set in.

"So who wants to start?" Edward asked sitting back in his chair, sipping his water.

"I guess I will," Kristen said. "Since I'm the one who knows everybody … I owe you both an apology. I needed to talk to someone, but …" she shook her head. "The way I handled this hurt both of you. Edward … I shouldn't have told her things that affected you as well, certainly not without at least letting you know about it. The way you found out … That was even worse. I never should have put you through that. And Deidre … I've brought you right into all of this, and I've worried the hell out of you."

Deidre crossed her arms and looked at the table. "Yeah well … I might have been out of line bringing it up without telling you." She said.

"I'm going to have a hard time trusting either of you, but Kristen says you can be trusted so … I'll forgive you both, on the condition you don't tell anyone else." He said though he didn't sound too amused.

Kristen winced at that, but she nodded. "Who else would I even tell, Edward?" she said quietly.

"I don't know … I didn't even think you'd tell her. I didn't even know about her, so I don't know who else you would tell." Edward said blankly. "Why don't you tell me, since you seem to be avoiding it."

"There isn't anyone else I could tell," Kristen said, staring back at him, clearly hurt by the implied accusation. "Even if I wanted to. Do you think I just decided to run off and gossip about it?"

"I don't know what you were thinking when you told her!" Edward said though he remained calm.

"Guys, this isn't helping anything. We all fucked up. That's why we're here to talk about it." Deidre said. "I understand you're having some trust issues Ed but Kristen didn't actually tell me. She tried keeping as much as she could from me, she just needed someone to talk to. It was me that figured it out. I went for worst case scenario and happened to be right."

"Anyway," Kristen said firmly. "Deidre is my oldest and best friend. I can trust her with absolute certainty. If you really think I'd go blabbing about this to just anyone …" she looked down at the table, trying to hide how upset she was as she finally voiced it. "I had no idea you thought I was that stupid."

"Neither did I." Edward said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Though no … I don't think you'd go blabbing to just anyone … But she's not exactly anyone is she?"

That stung, but Kristen didn't verbally acknowledge it. She knew he was just upset about what she had done, so she could excuse it this time. But she could feel all of the doubts she'd set aside rising up to the surface again. If he really thought that … then maybe this time wasn't so different after all. "No," she said, dismissing that train of thought for now. "She's not. We have a history."

Deidre glanced between them. "Do you want to bring up college?"

Ed looked between them confused. "What happened in college?" He asked curiously.

"You probably should know about that," Kristen sighed. It was a lot of baggage to put on Edward at once, but she didn't want there to be any more poorly timed surprises. Better to get everything out in the open, so they could all see what they were dealing with. "We used to date," she said simply, before adding: "It was a long time ago, and our relationship has been platonic for years, but … it wasn't always. So … now that's out in the open." She watched his expression anxiously, without knowing how he would react. She knew some men would be threatened by it. Others might be morally outraged. Others still might be far too interested in the details and demand a reenactment. She really had no idea what to expect from Edward.

"And?" He asked, waiting for some kind of shocking news. If that was it, they played it up to be a lot worse than it was.

"And…" Kristen blinked, surprised at his non-reaction. "That's it. I take it that doesn't bother you, but … It just kind of seemed like something you should know."

"Okay. I appreciate you telling me." He said.

"That's it? Your girlfriend is hanging around her ex and you don't care? Especially after you just said you have a hard time trusting her."

Edward didn't say anything, he knew his response would end one of two ways, a fight, or pity, and he didn't want either.

"It's … a different kind of trust, maybe?" Kristen asked uncertainly, trying to understand. She knew for certain that none of the other guys she had dated would have been so unfazed by this. She didn't even like to think what would have happened if Dougherty had ever found out.

"I want to trust that you wouldn't cheat on me …. On the one hand I do. You're right it's another kind of trust. But at the same time, I've said that so many times before if it did happen, I doubt I would be shocked." He said calmly. "Look, honestly it doesn't matter to me that you used to be a thing. And I'm not going to ask you to promise me not to do anything like … That … with each other. I just hope I'm not wrong this time in trusting you." He said trying to hide the vulnerability in his voice.

"Edward …" Kristen looked deeply saddened by Edward's lack of certainty. After everything she'd stood by him through, did he really still think that? She reached over and took his hand in hers. Thinking back, she wouldn't be surprised if Brittany had cheated on him at some point. "I would never do anything that deliberately hurtful." She wished she could make him believe her.

Edward looked up at her, taking her hand in his. "And I'd would never do anything to hurt you." He said leaning forward and kissing her softly. Deidre leaned back in her chair and cleared her throat.

"Ahem …. Ew …. Cooties." She said sarcastically.

Kristen returned Edward's kiss, reassured, before she turned to Deidre, laughing. "What are you, five?" She shook her head. "Okay, so … We've got all that out in the open. So, does anyone have any other concerns, worries, or boundaries to talk about?"

"I think we covered everything." Edward said looking up at Kristen. "Unless there's anything you wanted to talk about?"

"No," Kristen shook her head. "I think we've been over everything major." She still felt upset, and she knew Edward was a long way off from completely forgiving her, but at the same time oddly reassured. They could work through this madness somehow.

"Okay, well, I don't know about you, but I want to order pizza." Deidre said getting up from the table, honestly really hating serious sit downs and now that it was over wanted to lighten the mood. "You guys want to stay for pizza?"

"Well, I do live here," Kristen pointed out, mildly amused. Though she did spend more time over at Edward's place lately. She wasn't sure if he wanted her around right now, though. After everything that had happened, things still felt a little shaky between them.

"I know, but I thought I'd crash here, since you know …. You're never here anyway. And if you're staying we could have a girls night. Or a uh … Girls, and guy night. Whichever." She said with a perky shrug.

"Deidre…" Kristen said, a slight suspicion growing in her mind. Deidre had mentioned she was between jobs again. "Are you being evicted? …. Again?"

"What makes you ask that? Honestly Kristen, I just want to have a good night. And if that means I do so alone in your apartment while you have hot kinky makeup sex at his place … Or in your room …. Then so be it." She said taking a small container of ice cream out of the freezer before picking up Kristen's phone.

"By all means," Kristen sighed with a slight smile. "Make yourself at home. You know where everything is, just don't make a mess." She looked over at Edward, unsure how to read his expression right now. "What do you want to do?"

"I think I'm going to head home. I had a long shift, I'm kind of tired. And I don't feel like triangular shaped pieces of grease is going to help my stomach any." He said, his stomach had been upset all day and he had put it down to stress and lack of sleep. Perhaps he should just go home and sleep for a bit. "I'll see you at work tomorrow okay?" He asked.

"Okay," Kristen said, kissing him on the cheek. He was looking pretty worn out. But then, he hadn't gotten much sleep last night. She blamed herself for that. "You go get some rest."

(A/N - Reviews are what keep us going. We loooooove them. Please please please. Thanks in advance. *smiley face*)


	21. Chapter 21

(A/N - Even those this movie is 14 years old, I feel obligated to say that this chapter has a Saw II spoiler in it.)

A few hours later Edward lay in bed, fiddling with his phone in his hand before putting it down on the bed side dresser for the twentieth time. He rolled over onto his side, his hand going to the empty side of the bed.

Since he'd gotten home he'd eaten supper and laid in bed thinking about the events that happened the other day.

So Deidre seemed trustworthy, if she was going to the cops she would have already … He was sure Kristen understood why he was upset, which at this point was mainly because she didn't tell him herself. And for the last hour he had been laying in bed picking up his phone before putting it back down again.

As upset as he was … He felt … Lonely.

He turned over and picked up his phone again, and typing out a text.

"Hey, it's Ed." He backed that all out, she knew who it was. "Hey I was thinking." He backed that all out too and snapped his phone shut. He laid on his bed, his phone in his hands staring up at the ceiling before opening his cell again and typing a simple message.

"I miss you." He didn't leave time to debate it, or delete it, he hit send and closed his phone again.

Deidre and Kristen were most of the way through a large stuffed-crust pizza (which Kristen had predictably paid for), entirely through Kristen's ice cream supply, and halfway through Saw 2, when Kristen's phone buzzed. She glanced down and checked her text messages. Quickly, she texted back: "On my way," and stood up.

"Edward wants me to come over," she said, going to grab her purse and her coat. "Don't do anything illegal while I'm gone, okay?"

"And we're back to the boyfriend jumping." Deidre said leaning back against the front of the couch. "Honestly, every time a boyfriend calls you jump." She said picking up a bag of closed chips on the table and opening it. "Fine, I'll watch the rest of the horror movie marathon on my own. You owe me!" She said as if Kristen already wasn't doing enough for her.

Kristen paused, her hands resting on her hips in a stubborn posture, but she considered what Deidre was saying. "What? You said yourself you didn't care if I went. I miss him too. And we're kind of in a weird place right now, if you haven't noticed …" She looked back at Deidre, a hint of worry creeping into her expression. "You don't really think I'm doing it again, do you?"

"No, go. Have your make up sex. Make me a video. He's a nerd, I'm sure he has a high quality camera somewhere." She said digging through the chip bag. "HE'S IN THE SAFE YOU STUPID IDIOT HE TOLD YOU LIKE THREE TIMES NOW!" She yelled at the tv and threw a chip at the screen.

Kristen rolled her eyes, before heading out the door. She knocked this time when she arrived at Edward's place, even though she had a key. He knew she was coming over, but she'd done more than enough to startle him lately.

"Come in." Edward said tossing his cell onto the side dresser.

Kristen let herself in, finding Edward already in bed. "Hey," she said, still feeling more than a little awkward after everything that had happened. She went over and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Couldn't sleep?"

Edward sat up and leaned against the headboard. "No, I missed you too much."

"Even though you're mad at me?" Kristen asked, before leaning in and gently kissing him.

Edward kissed her and sighed as she sat back up. "I'm not mad just …. A bit upset. And I don't want to be anymore. Can we just … Move past this?" He asked, holding his hand out to her.

"I'd like that," Kristen said, relieved. She took his hand gladly. "Just …" she hesitated, her expression slightly troubled.

"Just what?" He asked looking up at her.

"Something you said earlier," Kristen said, adjusting her glasses nervously. "I know I handled things really badly, but … Do you really think I'm stupid now?" Her voice came out small and uncertain. She knew he'd been upset when he had made that comment, but she needed to know.

"What?" Edward asked confused. "Kristen I would never think you're stupid, I wouldn't be with you if you were." He said taking her hand again. "A stupid decision does not make you stupid."

Kristen's shoulders relaxed visibly as she looked up at him. "It's just that earlier, you kind of implied …" And she had been fairly certain that Edward meant for her to read between the lines. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm … glad you don't really feel that way." But it had still bothered her.

"I didn't mean to imply anything and if I had I was upset I'm sorry. You're not stupid. In fact-" he said pulling her into his arms on the bed and kissing her, half laying on top of her. "I think you're the most intelligent, beautiful, wonderful woman in the world."

Kristen kissed him back passionately, wrapping her arms around him, before looking up at him and smiling. "Flatterer," she said, running a hand through his hair.

"Can you blame me?" He asked with a smile laying down next to her but holding her in his arms. "Did you bring your own pajamas, or do you just enjoy sleeping in mine?"

"I came over in a bit of a hurry," she admitted, smiling slightly. "I don't suppose you'd be kind enough to lend me yours again?"

"You just like getting in my pants, don't you?" He asked with a smirk and pointing over to the dresser where she could pick out whatever she wanted.

"You've found me out," Kristen sighed, before getting up and going over to the dresser, opening a drawer and pulling out a pair of green pajama pants. "But you've never seemed averse to that before," she added, as she started to get changed.

"You know … You could always sleep nude." He said with a bit of a smirk.

"Oh, I don't know," she said innocently. "It gets a little chilly at night for that, don't you think?"

"Well, I didn't think you thought I was entirely useless." He said with a fake pout, his arms crossed over his chest.

"No one said you were useless," Kristen laughed quietly. "So you're volunteering yourself as a space heater?"

"Oh is that all I am to you?" He asked, turning over in bed facing away from her. "I see how it is!" He said with an over dramatic pouting voice. "Careful, I might develop a complex." He said sulkily.

"Now Edward," Kristen said, climbing into bed with him, still in her underwear. She kissed the back of his neck. "You know perfectly well that's not true."

"Really?" He asked, sounding skeptical. "And what exactly am I good for then?"

"Too many things to name," Kristen said, kissing down his neck. She nipped playfully at his ear. "It might be easier if you just showed me."

"Kristen, you already had pizza. You couldn't possibly be hungry." He said turning over onto his back and looking up at her.

"That's not what I meant," Kristen said, smirking slightly. "I had a different talent in mind. You wouldn't even have to get out of bed."

"I wasn't aware sleeping was a talent." He said feigning innocence.

"While you are uncommonly adorable while sleeping," Kristen said, climbing on top of him. "Still not quite what I meant." She leaned down and kissed him.

Edward kissed her back, his hands behind his head. "Oh? And what did you mean then?"

Kristen sighed. "Do I have to do it all myself?" she asked, amused, before continuing to kiss down his neck to his collarbone. "You really are tired tonight, aren't you?" she said sympathetically.

"It was a long shift." He said with a soft smile. "Though … I'm sure you could coerce me."

"I think I can do that," she smirked, before she leaned in and kissed him again, slipping a hand into the front of his pants, stroking lightly at his still soft cock.

Edward pulled her down into a kiss as her hand slid into the front of his pajamas, stroking his flaccid cock gently.

She slipped her tongue into his mouth as she continued to stroke lightly at his cock, her free hand running through his hair. Edward tiredly brought his hands up to her sides, his fingers moving down to the hem of his shirt that she wore.

Kristen moaned quietly into the kiss as she felt his hands on her. She kept stroking gently at Edward's cock, though it was still soft and unresponsive in her hand.

Edward broke the kiss and moved to her neck, stifling a yawn as his hands moved under the shirt. He focused on what she was doing with her hand, trying to allow his cock to harden in her hand.

After continuing to stroke him with her hand for awhile longer, Kristen decided to take things a step further. She moved down over him, pulling Edward's pajama pants down over his hips, and gently took Edward's flaccid cock into her mouth, her tongue lightly caressing the tip.

Edward watched her as she took his cock into her mouth. The heat around his soft cock felt amazing, but he was surprised to find it remaining soft despite how good it felt.

Confused that she still didn't feel him getting any harder, Kristen continued to patiently work her mouth over Edward's cock. It had never taken this long before … Was he still more angry with her than he wanted to admit? Or was he just that tired? She looked up and realized that Edward's head had fallen back on the pillow, and he was breathing softly. Was he ... Pulling off of him softly, Kristen whispered: "Edward?" He had fallen fast asleep.

Well. That certainly explained it. He was clearly even more exhausted than he'd been letting on. A little disappointed, she gently pulled Edward's pants back up. It didn't matter. There would be other nights. She was content knowing that he had forgiven her, and still wanted her there. She took her glasses off, and Edward's as well, setting them aside, before cuddling up next to him, and pulling the blankets over them. "Goodnight Edward," she whispered.


	22. Chapter 22

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz* Edward groaned and turned over on the bed, pulling away from Kristen as he moved his hand around the dresser looking for his cell phone. Once he found it he flipped it open, and with his eyes closed brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" He said groggily.

"Hey Edward." Came a distinctly female voice from the other end. It was Julie from the GCPD. Edward tried not to groan, he knew why she'd be calling him at … What time was it? He looked at the clock. 2:00 AM.

"Hi." He said quietly.

"I hate to ask this, but we need you to come in again. There's been a murder down on 5th and Main and we can't get a hold of anyone else." She said. Edward sighed verbally, and agreed.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." He said.

"Okay. Jim and Bullock are already there." She said. Edward rolled his eyes, of course they were.

"Yes well, Jim is a robot and if Bullock drinks any more caffeine I'm sure his heart will give out soon." He said making Julie laugh before they disconnected the call and he tossed his cell phone back onto the dresser. He rubbed his hands over his face trying to will himself to wake up.

Kristen stirred groggily next to him, opening her eyes and looking up at him blearily. "What?" She mumbled wrapping her arms around him. "What is it? You should go back to sleep, you're tired."

"I am tired." He said yawning and rubbing his eyes with his hands. "But I have to go shower … I got called in." He said yawning again. "Would you mind making some coffee while I get ready?" He asked, his eyes closed again, about to fall asleep.

She wanted to protest. Edward had been exhausted as it was. They'd just called him in on his day off yesterday. GCPD was working him to the bone … But she knew his job was important, and somebody had to do it. Ideally somebody competent. "Alright," she yawned, fumbling for her glasses and getting up. She nudged him slightly when she realized he was about to fall asleep again, feeling terrible as she did. She would frankly rather let him sleep. Shuffling over to the kitchen, Kristen set about making coffee, brewing it stronger than usual. He was going to need it.

Edward showered and got dressed after dragging himself out of bed. He went into the kitchen and grabbed his coffee that Kristen made him, and moved back to the bedroom area to sit on the bed. "Thank you." He said leaning against the headboard.

"Don't mention it," Kristen said, getting a mug of coffee herself and sitting on the bed with him. "You're working way too hard lately, you know," she said quietly, concerned.

"Yeah I'll be fine." He said, though it was times like this he wished he got paid hourly rather than on a salary. The over time would be useful. He finished off his coffee, wondering why Kristen was having one as well, and took the mug back to the sink. He came back to the bed and kissed her on the forehead. "You should get some more sleep."

"I'll try," Kristen said with a tired smile. Though now that she was already up, she doubted she would be able to get back to sleep again anyway. The coffee was a sign of surrender to the inevitable. She might as well try to do some research, see if she could find anything that would help the situation with Rubix. Jim was a good man, but he was as busy as Edward was. Or maybe she should start searching through job opportunities for Deidre. If she stayed 'between jobs' for long enough, that would lead exactly where it always had, and Kristen really didn't want stolen cash or goods showing up in her apartment. "You take care of yourself, okay? Call me when they let you off."

"Okay. I'll phone you later when I get a chance." He said kissing her again before putting his shoes on, grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment.

The next afternoon, Edward was still working without a break. He hadn't even called the night before. Concerned, Kristen went by GCPD to find Edward, still at work, and fast asleep at his desk. She nudged him gently. "Edward," she said quietly. "You've done all the good you can here. This is just ridiculous."

Edward awoke with a start and rubbed his eyes. "I'm off at four … I'll be fine. I have work I need to finish." He said looked down at the papers he had been working on and trying, unsuccessfully to remember where he was.

Kristen shook her head. "You're clearly out of it," she said, seriously worried. "You've worked a 36 hour shift already. Is this really that urgent?"

"Yes, it needs to get done before I leave." He said finally figuring out where he was. "Was there something you needed?"

"Well, Lee had asked about borrowing a console to play some games, but …" Kristen shook her head. "That's kind of the last thing I'm concerned about right now. You should let me give you a lift home after work. I don't think you're awake enough to drive safely."

"I'm fine." He said looking up at her, dark rings under his eyes. "Though I'd prefer my consoles to remain in my apartment. You're welcome to come over tonight and play them if you want. So long as she doesn't mind the fact that I'll be sleeping."

"Okay," Kristen agreed, still worried. "If you don't think it would bother you to have people over … Though I could just move this get-together back a few days. You need to catch up on your rest."

"It's fine." He said yawning. "I can't hear you guys downstairs anyway. And honestly, I'm so tired I'll probably be out like a light."

"Okay, well," she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm leaving you the right to kick everyone out at your discretion."

Edward's work hours were officially getting out of hand. She wondered if it would do any good to talk to Barnes about the need to hire more forensics people. Or possibly getting Lee an assistant medical examiner, since Edward ended up working more in that capacity than was really in his job description.

Edward ran his hand over hers. "I'll see you later." He said smiling up at her before turning back to his work and yawning again.

"Alright," she said, reluctantly leaving him to his work. Something had to give. Otherwise, this job was going to drain the life out of him. She went to go see if Barnes was in his office.

Barnes was sitting in his office and looked up when Miss. Kringle came in. "Miss." He paused realizing he didn't remember her name. "Come in … What can I help you with?" He asked.

"Hi," Kristen said, a little nervously as she went into his office. "Sorry to bother you, but I wondered if anyone's brought it to your attention how short-staffed forensics is lately? There's one guy in that department who has been working 36 hours straight since he was called in at two in the morning, when he'd just slept 5 hours after getting off a 12 hour shift prior, and he's still on the clock until four. That's on top of helping out with examination, which has been doing better under Thompkins, but … could still use more personnel as well."

"I take it this is Mr. Nygma you are referring too?" Barnes asked sitting back in his chair. "Don't look so surprised, it's rather obvious you two are an item." He said using his hand to gesture to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Kristen blushed slightly, unsure what to make of the fact that her boss knew her love life, but not her name. "Thank you," she said, taking his invitation to have a seat. "You're right, I was referring to Edward," she admitted. "He's very dedicated to his job, but he can only keep going like this for so long."

"I understand your concern … And I have taken into consideration our current staffing problem. I have been meaning to inquire why he is working M.E. with Dr. Tompkins though … If he is not educated to do so?" He asked getting up and moving towards a filing cabinet where all the employee files were. He flitted through the files until he found Edward Nygma's. He flipped through it. "It says here his education is based in forensics …" He said sitting back down. "I'm also curious as to why he has his girlfriend coming down to fight his battles for him. If he wants to go home, he could ask himself."

"That's not …" Kristen realized she'd made a severe miscalculation in coming to Barnes. At worst, she had expected him to just brush her off. She hadn't expected him to listen and then turn what she had said around. "Edward hasn't expressed a desire to leave; he's still busy working was we speak. Like I said, he's dedicated … But I'm concerned because he also looks like he's about to keel over. As for M.E., he's just assisting. They're understaffed, and he helps."

"Do you know who's authorizing him to be down there?" He asked. "I heard there used to be formal complaints about him with the last M.E. when he was unauthorized …" He said. He had looked over Nygma's file before, when he was looking into all GCPD employees, but had found little and had all but skipped over him. Though if he's continuing to assist in a department he is unauthorized to do so, perhaps he'd have to look a bit further into Mr. Nygma.

"All I know is he has authorization now," Kristen said carefully, aware that it would be far too easy to slip and get Edward or Lee into trouble. She wondered at what exact moment this had become an interrogation. "Anyway, wasn't the previous M.E. fired for some pretty shady business? I got the impression he was just worried Edward would see something."

Barnes regarded her for a moment before flipping Edward's file closed. "Tell him to go home …" He said picking up the file and placing it back in the filing cabinet.

"Yes sir," Kristen said, still uncertain of how this had gone. She couldn't quite read Barnes. He always seemed to just vary between degrees of anger and disapproval. "Thank you." She got up to leave, a part of her still wondering if she should never have come in.


	23. Chapter 23

Lee climbed the stairs behind Kristen, Jim following behind her. "Are you sure this is okay?" Lee asked. "Ed seemed pretty … Exhausted when he left."

"Edward insisted that it was alright," Kristen said uncertainly. "So long as we don't mind him sleeping in the next room …" She shook her head. "But I'm starting to suspect he's too considerate for his own good."

As Kristen opened the door, the bed appeared to be empty. "That's strange …" she frowned, going farther into the apartment, before she saw Edward sprawled on the floor on the other side of the bed, as if he had fallen out without waking up. She shook her head as she went over to him, shaking his shoulder gently. "Edward," she said. "You can't sleep on the floor like that." She glanced over at Lee. "Maybe we should do this another time," she started to say.

"Is he okay?" Lee asked stepping into the apartment with Jim behind her.

"I'm fine." Edward said groggily. "I just fell. Go play … I don't mind." He said waving his hand tiredly as he sat up. He ignored the three as he pulled himself back into bed and pulled the blankets over himself.

Kristen looked up at Lee. "What do you think?" she asked quietly.

Edward groaned. "I think you should go downstairs or stop talking." Edward grumbled into his pillow. Jim looked up at Kristen and smiled slightly.

"I think we should do what the man says." Jim said quietly. "Let's leave him be."

"Thank you." Edward mumbled, his eyes closed as Lee made her way to the trap door.

"Come on, Mario awaits!" Lee said before Ed started getting mad.

"Alright," Kristen conceded, smiling slightly at Edward's sleepy grumpiness, before heading to the trapdoor and down the stairs with Lee and Jim, setting up the console and tossing them each a controller.

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

Edward groaned and hit the hang up button on his cell, turning over and falling asleep again easily.

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

*bzz bzz*

Edward groaned and reached for his phone, he flipped it open and rolled onto his back. "What?" He mumbled.

"Edward." The word alone woke Edward to near full wakefulness.

"Captain Barnes." He said forcing himself to sit up. He'd never received a call from Barnes personally before.

"I need you to come in. We need to have a little chat." He said flatly. Edward flinched.

"Yes sir, may I ask in regards to what sir?" He asked.

"No. I expect you here asap." Barnes said hanging up before Edward could say anything further. He tossed his phone back onto the dresser and looked at the time. 5 PM. He'd slept maybe two hours … Two and a half at most. They were determined to kill him.

He got up and poured himself some coffee from the pot before heading downstairs. "Hey." He said tiredly sitting down in one of his chairs as he sipped his coffee.

"Why are you up?" Jim asked, "Shouldn't you be asleep. Kristen said you'd worked like … almost 40 hours, you should be sleeping."

"Barnes called me in. Said he wanted to have a meeting." He said downing half of his cup of coffee. "I'm going to take a shower and head back in. Hopefully it won't take long." He said watching Kristen's and Lee's character's bouncing around on the screen before the game was paused. "I didn't mean to interrupt, by all means keep going."

Kristen looked up at him, worried. "You said … Captain Barnes called you in?" She had a bad feeling about this, deep in the pit of her stomach.

"Mhmm." He said pushing his glasses up his nose. "Didn't say what it was about. Just said he wanted me in asap, and hung up on me." He said finishing off his coffee. "Which means I probably shouldn't keep him waiting." He said standing up to go and shower.

"Be careful," she said quietly. "Barnes was … he was starting to ask questions about your qualifications to help with M.E. duty." And it was her fault. Barnes was a hard ass, and had been sweeping through GCPD like a hurricane in his quest to clean things up … But he had never noticed Edward before Kristen had gone and brought him to his attention.

"Don't worry. I won't mention Lee authorized me." He said heading towards the stairs.

"Ed … Don't risk your job for me. If you need to drop my name, I can handle myself." Lee said watching him head to the stairs.

"I'll be fine."


	24. Chapter 24

Ed headed up the stairs towards Barnes' office and knocked on the door.

"Come in Nygma." He said having already seen him through the window. Edward entered nervously.

"You wanted to see me sir?" Edward asked.

"I did," Barnes acknowledged, regarding Nygma for a moment before he said: "Have a seat."

"Uh, yes sir." He said sitting down in the indicated seat. They sat in silence a moment before Barnes spoke.

"I'm generally a straightforward man … But I hate liars." He said. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me Mr. Nygma?"

Ed stared at him a moment, nervously. What did he know? Did he suspect him in Dougherty's disappearance? Did they find his father's body? No that couldn't be it, he would have heard something on his last shift.

"No sir." He said with a confused shrug. "I'm an open book."

"Really? So then … Answer me this." He said fiddling with a pen on his desk. "What's your highest level of education?"

Edward blanked a moment. "My highest-" he paused. There was no way he could have found out …. He's testing me. "I graduated from Gotham University with a bachelor's degree four years ago. My recommendations are in my file."

"Mr. Nygma … I told you I don't like liars." He said. "Or should I call you Mr. Nashton?" He asked watching the blood drain out of his face. "See I did some digging around on you, a little deeper than I had initially and found some pretty interesting information. See I discovered that you dropped out of high school in grade 9, after failing 3 times. You then ran away from home, wound up in Gotham. I'm assuming you were a street kid so … Where exactly did you get the $60,000 for your bachelor's degree?" Barnes asked.

"I took out a loan." Edward said nervously. Barnes nodded as if Edward's answer made all the sense in the world.

"Oh, so a kid … With no education, no finances, no one to cosign … Took out a $60,000 loan? That must have been easy hmm? Simple as that."

Edward didn't say anything. "I told you Mr. Nashton … I hate liars. I know for a fact you did not obtain your GED … And you did not even set foot in a college. You want to know how I know? Because all colleges and adult education centres keep paper copies of all their students files … Seems a bit odd that neither school had yours. So do you want to tell me why that is?"

Edward was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I learned everything on my own … I didn't have the money nor the means to obtain a proper education … So I hacked the school's computer programs and entered myself as a student. I phoned both institutes and requested a copy of my school documents, since I was in their system it was easy to obtain. Cost me less than $20. I'm sorry for doing that, but I didn't have any other means … I'm more than qualified-"

"But you're not Mr. Nashton."

"Please stop calling me that." Edward said starting to get a bit upset. Barnes regarded him a moment.

"Look, Nygma … You're a good kid … You made some mistakes in the past but these mistakes are breaking at least five laws … I could have you arrested." He said making Ed look up at him. "But they'd send you to Black Gate, and I know exactly what they'd do to a guy like you. As much as I hate to admit you're the best Forensics we got here. And I really wish I didn't have to do this …" He said pulling out a piece of paper and sliding it across the desk. "You're dismissed from the GCPD … If you'll sign the bottom." Edward stared at the paper, his heart hammering in his chest. If he didn't have a job …. Then he would have zero chance of getting Rubix back.

"Sir, please. Don't do this. I'm fighting for custody for my son, he's only three and abused by his mother, if I don't have a job-"

"That's not my problem Nygma …" Barnes said as Ed's eyes started to water, both out of fear and frustration. Ed licked his lips nervously and picked up the pen, signing the bottom before standing from his chair, the pen dropping back to the desk.

"Look kid …" Barnes said. "I'm going as easy on you as I can …. But that fake education of yours has been revoked. Under the table. Few people know. If you gain the proper education, you may apply for your job again."

Edward stood there a moment, staring at Barnes. Once he obtained the proper education? That could take years! "My son might not have that long … But I appreciate your concern." He said sarcastically before leaving to pack up his locker.

Edward came in the door and heard Jim, Kristen and Lee laughing about something presumably that happened in the game downstairs. He quietly closed the trap door and moved to the sink to put the dishes away, perhaps doing so a bit more vigorously than necessary.

Hearing the trapdoor close, Kristen realized Edward was probably home. "Hang on," she said, getting up. "I think Ed's back. Let me go see what that was about." As she headed up the stairs, the smile left over from their raucous laughter faded away, a sense of anxiousness returning. He hadn't been gone terribly long, so she doubted Barnes was consulting him on a case. But he hadn't been arrested either … which was getting to be more of a concern than it should have been. Maybe Barnes had just been rebuking him for overstretching his job description … But then wouldn't he have called in Lee too, since she was the one authorizing it? Whatever this was about, Kristen had a nasty feeling that it would never have happened if she'd just kept her mouth shut this afternoon.

"Edward?" she asked tentatively, once she was through the trapdoor. His back was to her, and she couldn't see his expression. "What did Barnes want to see you about?"

Edward tensed as he heard Kristen speak, hoping she would have stayed downstairs. The glass in his hand shattered as he squeezed it a little too hard.

"Go back downstairs Kristen, please." He said, his voice sounding strained as if he were trying to keep control of himself.

He watched the blood from his hand wash down the sink drain with the running water, but he didn't even notice the pain in his hand …

"Edward, your hand," Kristen said, worried. She ran to the bathroom and returned with the first aid kit, approaching him tentatively. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Edward said nothing as Jim and Lee both came upstairs, having heard Kristen. "You okay Ed?" Jim asked, a look of confused concern on his face.

"I'm fine." Edward said tightly, as Kristen reached for his hand, he pulled it away from her and gripped the sink with his uninjured hand.

Kristen looked up at him, remaining still once he'd pulled away from her. Things must be worse than she had thought … And Edward's complete exhaustion hadn't exactly left him in the best state to deal with it either. "Edward," she said quietly. "You don't have to talk about it right now, but your hand is bleeding. Just let me take care of that, and then if you need some space, I'll back off."

"Kristen's right." Lee said coming beside him. There was shards of glass in his hand that needed to be pulled out, the wound tended too. It was bleeding pretty badly.

"Ed come on …" Jim said as Ed backed away from the sink with a sigh. He moved to the bed and sat down. Lee looked at Kristen as she turned the sink tap off.

"Do you want me to do it? He may need stitches." She said quietly.

"I…" Kristen glanced over at Lee, and then nodded reluctantly. "I guess you're more qualified," she admitted, passing the first aid kit over to her, before going to clean up the broken glass in the kitchen.

Lee took the first aid kit from Kristen and knelt down in front of Ed. She took his hand, a pair of tweezers in the other, and gently started pulling the glass from his hand. "You'll probably need to go to a hospital, get it xrayed to see if there's any small pieces but it looks like it's mostly bigger pieces." She said amazed that Ed was hardly flinching as she pulled the glass out.

She cleaned it up after all the glass was out. He needed only three stitches, which was a lot better than she had thought he would, and after that was done she wrapped his hand from the knuckles up to his wrist in clean white bandages.

"I got fired." Edward said after the long silence while she'd cleaned his wound, finally breaking the silence which had long become awkward.

Kristen froze. "You … What?" she asked, stunned. She'd been afraid he would be reprimanded for doing more than he was qualified for, but … fired? It made no sense whatsoever. He was the best forensics officer on the force, and at a time when GCPD was so strained for competent manpower, they had seriously fired him? "For what? They need you!'

"Kristen's right. You're GCPD's best. You should be head of that department! They couldn't possibly have grounds to fire you!" Jim said sounding absolutely appalled. Ed was the one that actually got things done … Half their cases wouldn't have been solved nearly half as fast if it wasn't for him.

"Ed, if it's because of you assisting in my area I can talk to Barnes … You have to fight this! He can't-"

"He can … And he did. My other option was Black Gate." Edward said looking at his injured hand.

"Oh," Kristen said quietly, realization hitting her. Had Barnes really gone to the trouble of digging deep enough to find Edward's faked credentials? If he had, there was no getting around that. But there was no other reason this could have happened. The only other illegal activity Edward had been involved with would have gotten him arrested, no question about it.

"What?" Lee looked from Edward to Kristen and back again, confusion evident on her face. "Ed, what are you talking about?"

"Ed, what could you have possibly done to warrant a possible arrest?" Jim asked. "Did you forget to pay your taxes?" He joked.

"No. I pay my taxes." Ed said rolling his eyes slightly. "I failed grade 9 three times, dropped out and never went back to school. I'm not technically qualified to work there."

"But I saw your credentials when I talked to Sarah about getting you to assist me …" Lee said. "Your education-"

"Was fake." Ed said cutting her off. "It's not hard to hack a school's computer system … I did it once when I was twelve … It doesn't take a genius to do so."

"Fake?" Lee shook her head. "But I've never met anyone more capable. How is that possible?"

"Not everyone does their learning in a classroom," Kristen said quietly. She felt terrible. No one at the precinct paid any attention to Edward. There was no reason for Barnes to go digging. And it would have stayed that way if she hadn't tried to talk to him.

"This is nuts …" Jim said running his hands through his hair. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know … I have enough money put away I'll be fine for about six months … And the income from the complex here should last me at least two months after that." He said rubbing his uninjured hand over his mouth. "I'm more concerned about Rubix … If I don't have a job …."

"Then Rubix stays with mommy dearest." Jim said finishing his sentence, and sighing in annoyance.

"You could get your GED," Kristen said quietly, her mind racing through possibilities to fix what she had done. "Then find a temporary job, for custody purposes, while you try to sort this out?"

"I'll have to. I'll call tomorrow to make an appointment to test out … In the meantime I'll have to start job hunting for anything full time." He said rubbing his hand over his face again. "Of all the things that could have happened now …"

"Hey, it'll be okay. Everything will work out." Lee said reassuringly.

"Right," Kristen agreed, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "We'll make this work," she promised, willing it to be true. "Just take things one step at a time."

"I have a lawyer in mind. I'll talk to him tomorrow … See if he'll take your case. He's pretty reliable. We'll all help you out Ed. Don't worry."

"Yeah Ed. We'll all pitch in … Do what we can to help. But you're going to be a walking zombie if you don't sleep soon, you look like you're going to collapse." Lee said as Ed waved her off.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep now anyway." He said shaking his head.

"Well, I'm sure me and Jim hanging around here isn't helping. We should head out anyway." She said gathering up her purse as Ed stood up.

"Yeah, you should take it easy Ed. Get some sleep, I'll call you tomorrow when I've got some news for you."

"See ya." Edward said heading towards his laptop that was sitting on his make shift dining room table.

Kristen thanked Jim and Lee for coming over, as she walked them to the door. She looked back at Edward for a moment, not even sure how to begin trying to help. Lately, it seemed like she only knew how to mess things up. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, going over to sit by him.

"You don't have to be sorry for something you had no control over." He said. "Someone was bound to find out eventually." He said pulling up the job website and entering his area information, broadening his searches to all of Gotham. He looked for jobs that required no education - even though he was getting his GED he didn't have it at the present moment. He pulled up his old resume, which he could still technically use since he couldn't exactly put "GCPD Forensics" on it … Since it technically legally didn't happen. Which meant his resume was virtually empty. All he had to do was remove his education.

"I know, but…" Kristen shook her head. Edward was right. She'd had no rational reason to suspect that asking Barnes to get some more people on forensics, and maybe send Edward home early that afternoon, would result in uncovering this. She hugged Edward gently, resting her head on his shoulder. "I think you should try to get some rest," she said quietly. "You'll be less frustrated job hunting if you're not already exhausted on top of everything else."

"I know, but the faster I get some resumes out there, the faster I might get a job. It's so hard to find a job in Gotham. And the last thing I want to do is move to another city just for work." He said taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. Perhaps she had a point, as much as he wanted to start applying right away, he was so tired he felt like his head was buzzing. "Are you staying tonight?"

"Yes," Kristen said firmly. She wasn't about to leave him alone like this.

Edward slowly closed the laptop with a quiet snap and stood up, pulling her into his arms. "Thank you." He said kissing her gently. "I know it's still early so if you want to go watch some tv or play a game or something, that's fine. It's only six so … I know you wouldn't be able to sleep. …. I'm going to head to bed though." He said kissing her again gently. He seriously wondered how he'd do all this without her here. He'd probably have lost his mind worse than he already had.

"Alright," Kristen said. She kissed him back, then looked up at him. "I'll find something to do until I'm sleepy enough to come join you." Most likely, she would do a little job searching as well, and write down any prospects she found. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?"

Edward mumbled an agreement and was too tired to even blush when his stomach grumbled rather loudly. "Perhaps food would be in order some time tonight. I'm currently torn between raiding the fridge, and making it to the bed." He said with a laugh. "At least the upside to being unemployed … I can sleep for the next week and not have to worry about people phoning me to wake me up." He said rubbing his hands over his face. "Why don't we order a few pizzas … I'll nap until it gets here, and then we can eat."

"That's a good idea," Kristen said, a little relieved that he was thinking reasonably about looking after himself. And she couldn't recall when exactly she had last seen him eat anything. "What do you want on yours?"

"I … Fff." He paused unable to even think of what he wanted. "Food." He said with a shake of his head. "I don't care. Get whatever you like."

That was terribly vague for someone as particular about food as Edward could be. He really was out of it. "Alright," she said, shooing him off to bed. "I'll take care of it. You go sleep." Knowing Ed, there were at least a few things she already knew to steer clear of. Onions, for one thing. But pizza wasn't overly complicated.

"My cards in my wallet." He said pointing to the jacket, though he was sure the man banging on the door would wake him up. He groaned as he climbed into bed. "Would you be annoyed if I asked you for one more favour?" He asked, his eyes closed as he lay on his back, half under the blankets.

Kristen paused, getting her phone out, and looked over at Edward. "Not at all," she assured him. If there was more she could do to help, she'd be glad to hear it.

"Can you close the blinds." He said lazily pointing at them with his injured hand where the sun was glaring in.

"Yes, dear," Kristen said, smiling slightly. He really was exhausted. She went over to close the blinds. "Anything else?" She asked.

"No." He mumbled quietly, already half falling asleep.

Kristen quietly went downstairs so she wouldn't bother him, and made a call to order pizza. She didn't come back up until she heard the doorbell ring, running up quickly before Edward could drag himself out of bed. Even though he had told her she could use his card, she felt better using her own, given the circumstances. She got to the door and paid for the pizzas before Edward was fully awake.

Edward groaned and rolled over in bed, rubbing his eyes and falling back asleep within seconds.

"Edward?" Kristen asked, setting the pizzas down on the table, before going over and gently nudging his shoulder. "The pizza's here. Think you can wake up enough to eat?"

Edward grumbled and slowly rolled into a sitting position, his hair sticking up in every direction as he rubbed his eyes. "Mhmm." He mumbled as he turned to sit on the side of the bed.

She looked over at him and shook her head, then went to get a couple of plates, bringing a few slices over to him. Evidently, movement was a little beyond him right now.

Edward took the plate from her and moved over to the table so they could sit and eat. "Sorry." He mumbled, even though for what he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was multiple reasons.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as she sat down beside him. "Once you're done eating, you can go right back to bed, okay?" He was clearly still beyond exhausted.

"I had every intention of doing so, I'm not going to wake up for at least a week." He said slowly eating his pizza. "But I am sorry." He insisted.

"For what?" Kristen asked, bewildered, before picking up a slice and taking a bite. "Having the shittiest day ever?"

Edward sighed. "For everything … Dragging you into this … Asking you out … I shouldn't have gotten you involved in my life. It's always been like this and I fear it's always going to be …. Might even get worse. I knew what I was dragging you into and I still asked you out." He said tiredly. "On some level I knew you would have found out about Officer Dougherty. I had no way of knowing how you'd react, I can't help but feel like it would have gone differently had it been under any other circumstance. But I knew it wouldn't end well ..."

"Edward," she said, reaching over and taking his hand in hers. "I can, in fact, make my own decisions. And I'm glad I said yes. I don't know where this bizarre journey is leading anymore, but … I'm glad I'm on it with you." She looked down at the table. "As for Dougherty… You had the good sense not to bring it up casually over dinner," she said, before her tone became more serious again. "Though … Sometimes I wish I'd had the chance to find out if I would have ever found the courage to leave him on my own." She often wondered. Edward had fought that battle for her, and now she would never know. She shook her head. "I guess that doesn't matter now, though."

"You left Flass on your own." He said yawning so hard his eyes watered. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and took another bite of pizza. Perhaps he'd finish this slice, enough to tide him over till morning and eat when he woke up. Which with any luck will be some time next week. Or the following.

"Yeah," she said quietly, not sounding terribly convinced. She picked absently at her pizza. "I did that, at least." It didn't feel like the same thing, though. Flass hadn't scared her the same way that Dougherty did. Even now, she didn't like being alone in her apartment at night if she could help it. Shouldn't knowing he was dead bring her some closure over the whole thing?

"What's the matter?" He asked wiping his hands together once he finished his second slice.

"It's nothing," Kristen said. God knew Edward had enough of his own problems right now for both of them, and then some. "Just … bad memories. That's all."

"Yeah, that I understand. If there's anything you want me to help with - preferably in the morning, just ask." He said yawning again. "I think I'm going to go back to bed."

"Alright," Kristen said, though she doubted there was anything Edward could do. Some things she would have to work through on her own. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as she stood up to go put the leftover pizza to the fridge, before heading over to the sink to go wash the dishes. "I promise I won't wake you up again unless something's on fire."

Around ten PM Edward subconsciously felt Kristen get into bed and turned over, wrapping himself around her without even waking up.

Kristen pulled the blankets over them both as she settled into bed next to Edward, snuggling close against him. She had spent the hours since dinner searching for leads on jobs, but there was only so much Edward would be considered qualified for. Eventually, she'd decided to take her own advice and get some rest. Edward had a rough time ahead of him. She would just have to do the best she could do help him through this.


	25. Chapter 25

"Come on Ed!" Jim said starting to get annoyed at the man's stubbornness. "You have the lawyer, you have two job interviews on Monday, you need to relax you've been doing nothing but stressing for the past few days since you got fired."

"It's Saturday night Ed … And Kristen's been cooped up in here helping you when she's not at work … We're taking you both out tonight." Lee agreed.

"I'm not going. Kristen is welcome to go, I'm not holding her here against her will, but I have stuff to do." Ed said stubbornly.

"Kristen, get him to see reason." Jim said exasperated.

"They're right," Kristen said, resting a hand on Edward's arm. "You're going to burn out if you keep going like this. You've done everything that you can for today. You'll drive yourself crazy hanging around here, worrying about the things you can't control yet. You need a change of scenery."

"I'm fine." Edward said turning back to his laptop.

"Ed." Jim said in that 'warning' tone of his. "We're not taking no for an answer. You're coming to karaoke night if we have to drag you there kicking and screaming."

"I will personally help them," Kristen said almost sternly. "It's for your own good."

Edward looked up at Kristen, staring at her blankly. "Fine." He grumbled. "But I won't enjoy a moment of it!" He said moving to his dresser to find some proper clothing for a club. Not that he owned much in the way of proper attire for such a scene.

Kristen looked over Edward's shoulder, pointing to the green button-up shirt he'd been wearing when she and Deidre had walked in on him still dressing. "Pick that one," she said helpfully.

"You want to put it on me too?" Ed asked snippily, clearly not happy about any of this.

"We'll meet you two in the car." Jim said hoping this didn't start a fight but sensing an argument starting. Him and Lee headed down to the car allowing Edward privacy to change.

"If need be," Kristen said, unperturbed by Edward's sarcasm. "You haven't left the apartment in days, Edward," she said. "Your brain needs a fresh reminder that there's still a world outside of these rooms."

"Yeah? You know what else is outside these rooms? My son." He said bitterly. He was frustrated, and annoyed, and angry, and he knew he shouldn't be taking it out on Kristen, she was just trying to help, but all he wanted to do was stay in and keep applying for jobs. His appointment to go take his GED test wasn't until Tuesday and who knew how long it would be before his results came back. Everything was just taking too long.

Kristen looked steadily up at him. "Do you think I've forgotten that?" she asked quietly, touching a gentle hand to the side of his face. "You are already doing everything you can. But you need to take care of yourself too."

"I know I just …. I hate this." He said shaking his head as he took his shirt off. "Just thinking about what they could be doing to him right now."

"I know," Kristen said, her expression pained. That thought bothered her deeply, and she knew it had to be so much worse for Edward. "But brooding over it isn't helping him, or making you accomplish things any faster. It's just torturing you."

"Yeah, but the faster I get a job the faster the ball can get rolling." He said putting the green shirt on and changing into his black pants.

"And you're doing everything in your power to accomplish that," Kristen reminded him. "But you'll do a lot better at those job interviews if you manage to relax a little. You're a walking, jittery bundle of nerves right now."

"Fine." Edward said shaking his head. "I'm still going to feel weird going … I feel like I should be doing something, not going out and socializing."

"I know," Kristen said. "Just give it an hour or two, and if you don't want to stay out any longer than that, I'll make an excuse for you and we can come back, okay?"

"Okay." Edward said pulling her into a hug. "I'll …. Try to relax for a bit, but as soon as we get back I'm back to applying for jobs!" He said.

"Alright," Kristen said, shaking her head slightly as she hugged him back. He'd done enough for one day, and with any luck, he would get some rest when they returned … But he needed to handle things in his own way. She leaned up and kissed him. "Ready to go?"

"No." He said picking up his keys off the table and his wallet and placing both in his pants pocket. "This better not be a ploy to make me jealous of other men …" He said as they stood in the hallway and locked the door.

"Hey, you guys having a quickie up there or what? Come on!" Jim called up the stairs making Ed roll his eyes.

"Why, do you think we should?" Kristen said quietly enough that only Edward could hear, an amused smirk on her face, before she headed for the door.

"If it involves staying in the apartment, I'd be all for it." He said though he finished locking the door and pocketed his key. "Come on, before Jim sends up a search party." He said heading down the stairs.

"I think Lee is more likely to send the search party," Kristen pointed out as they headed downstairs. She had rarely seen Jim act this social on purpose. And she wouldn't have pictured him doing karaoke. That was something she would have to see to believe.

Edward leaned back in his chair, sipping, as Jim called it, his girly drink. He could feel the alcohol buzzing in his veins and watched as Jim jumped down from the stage, stumbling slightly as he came back to the table.

"Kristen?!" Ed almost flinched at the high pitched squeal that came from behind him and turned to see Deidre approaching them.

Kristen looked up to see Deidre coming over from the table behind them. "Deidre!?" Kristen got up, slightly tipsy, and went to go hug her. "I didn't know you were here!"

Lee looked from one to the other, a slightly amused smile on her face. As the only sober person in the entire karaoke bar, she was getting her entertainment by watching the others make fools of themselves, and reserving the right to make fun of them for it later. It was her payment for listening to all of the off-key singing. "A friend of yours, I take it?"

"Yes!" Kristen said, spinning around to look back at Lee, her ponytail swishing behind her head as she moved. "We go way back, since we roomed together in college … And again now, because she invaded my apartment."

"I didn't invade." She said coming behind Ed. "I merely … Inhabited." She said hugging Ed from behind as he stiffened. "Hey Ed." She said jokingly kissing him on the cheek before moving around to sit at the table with him. "Never thought I'd see Mr. Stuffy here at a Karaoke bar." She said elbowing Ed playfully.

"He hasn't sang yet." Lee said leaning forward on the table and glaring at Ed playfully.

"Yet? What yet? I'm not going to, end of story." He said.

"The night is young," Kristen informed him ominously. "Anyway, Jim just sang. So anything could happen."

"Yeah come on Ed. Get up there." Jim said sitting down next to Lee and picking up his beer. "It'll be fun."

"Fine." Deidre said. "If you're not going to go up, I will." She said standing up from the table and heading over to the stage. She took the microphone.

"Oh my god!" Deidre said with a laugh as she took a sip of her drink, the audience laughing and clapping. "Thanks Jim. I think it's time to give someone else a chance." She said raising her glass to Jim. "And it certainly isn't going to be me so who wants a shot?" She asked. A bunch of people pointed at their friends who all shook their heads. "You? No? Come on don't be shy!"

"What about Edward?" Jim called out with that sly grin of his.

"Edward?" Deidre asked. "Oh, I don't know about that Jim." Deidre said licking her lips and smirking. "Edward's my friend here … He's great. But he would never have the GUTS … To do something like this." She said as Edward crossed his arms glaring up at Deidre on the stage as the entire audience reacted to the very obvious challenge. "Oooooh, no. In fact I'm sure his girlfriend had to drag him down here, you know it's a loooooong day at work. Naw he'll never do it." She said smugly as the audience cheered. "Oh, what you think so? You think he will? Naw. Okay I'll bet you all $100 he won't get up on this stage."

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" The entire audience was going along with Deidre, even though they had no idea who Edward was, it was a challenge, and they were all interested to see if Edward would take it.

Edward downed his drink and put the glass back down on the table. "Make it two." He said standing up.

Kristen burst out laughing, applauding as Edward stood up and headed for the stage. "Of course," Kristen said aside to Lee. "Now Deidre's going to want to borrow two hundred dollars."

"I'm not lending it to her." Lee laughed as Deidre handed Ed the mic and jumped off the stage skillfully in her heels. She sat down in Ed's spot and watched Ed picking out a song.

He wound up picking a song Kristen had never heard of, "Born to be my Baby" by Bon Jovi.

As Edward started singing both Lee and Jim's eyes looked like they were going to bug out of their head and the entire audience started cheering.

"Oh," Kristen said, staring up at Edward on the stage in stunned amazement. "He … He can actually sing."

"Did you know he could sing like that," Lee demanded excitedly.

Kristen shook her head. "I had no idea."

Once the song came to a close the entire audience cheered, including their own table as Ed came off the stage. "Happy now?" He asked as Deidre moved into another chair so Ed could sit between them.

"Delighted," Deidre smirked. "Guess you had it in you after all."

Kristen leaned over and kissed Edward on the cheek. "You were amazing! Why have I never heard you sing before?"

"Because I don't like showing off." Edward said simply, waving down a waiter to order another of his 'girly drinks'.

"Yeah?" Jim asked. "Since when?"

"Since I kicked all your asses at Karaoke that's when." He said waving his finger at the four of them, the motion indicating that he was, in fact feeling the effects of the alcohol he was drinking.

Kristen giggled. "Yeah, because that's definitely not 'showing off.' And now you have to do something for an encore."

"Definitely," Lee agreed. "Because, in case no one else has noticed, you're the only one here who can stay on key while intoxicated."

"That was nowhere near on key Miss. Tompkins …. But I thank you for the compliment. And no, I'm not going back up again." He said as the waiter brought him another drink.

Lee shook her head. "It was closer to on key than the rest of these drunks," she said, giving Jim a playful nudge. "No offense, Jim."

"But why not do it again?" Kristen said, pouting slightly. "You already did it once, and you were so good!"

"No …" Edward said stretching in his chair and glancing at his watch. "Can we head back home now?" He asked, sounding much like a kid who didn't want to visit with relatives anymore.

"Fine," Kristen sighed, sounding equally childish. "I guess you've humored us long enough … But you had fun, right?"

"If you count making a fool of myself fun, then yes, I had fun." He said finishing off the last of his drink. "Would you like to join us Deidre? I'm sure Kristen's going to want some company while I do the boring task of finding a job." He said standing up from the table.

"Is there booze at your place?" Deidre asked.

"No, but we can pick some up on the way." Ed said waving at Lee and Jim.

"Oh, don't encourage her," Kristen laughed. "She still owes you 200 dollars now, remember?" She gave Lee a hug as they got up, teetering slightly on her heels as she did. "Thank you so much for helping me get him out of the apartment. You and Jim both. You keep having fun, okay?"

"We will," Lee said, amused, as Jim ordered another beer.

Edward lead the two girls out of the bar, his hands in his pockets as they walked down the street. Luckily it wasn't far to his apartment, just four blocks down, seeing as none of them were sober enough to drive. He'd have to walk back and pick up his car tomorrow.

"So you quizzed me …. It's my turn … Did you two have fun?" He asked putting his arms around both of their shoulders as they walked.

"Of course," Kristen said, hanging onto Edward as they made their way down the sidewalk. She was glad that her two favorite people seemed to be getting along so well for once. "We talked, we laughed, you sang, Jim did that thing with his face when he tried to sing …"

"What? The clenched teeth, constipated orgasm face?" Edward asked, his grin widening.

"Yes!" Kristen declared, breaking down into a fit of laughter. "Exactly! What is that face?"

"Does he always do that?" Deidre snickered.

"Only when he's super serious about something, or trying to subtly hint at something without voicing words." Edward said imitating Jim's serious face.

Kristen giggled. "So most of the time, really."

"So what was he subtly hinting at tonight, do you think?" Deidre asked.

"That karaoke is super serious GCPD business," Kristen asserted.

Edward laughed as they reached the liquor store. They stopped in, picking out various bottles of booze, each their own selection, more than enough to get each of them wasted for the next few days if they wanted, depending on how much it took Deidre to get drunk anyway.

They headed back down the street towards his apartment, walking past Gotham High, when they heard something unexpected, but perhaps not so shocking considering it was Gotham and it was dark out.

"Leave me alone! Stop it!"

Kristen stopped in her tracks, looking over past the rusting chain-link fence to the Gotham High parking lot, where it looked like some kind of scuffle was going on, several teens ganging up on just one guy. Her eyes narrowed.

"Typical." Ed said shoving his hands in his pockets. "They're always brave when they're in numbers." He said walking along the fence and finding the gate entrance. He walked along the grass towards the parking lot.

Kristen glanced over at Deidre, and then followed after Edward, ready to back him up. Sometimes, all it took with bullying brats was for an adult to step in, and then they'd back off. Other times, that wasn't enough, and even an adult would need to give them a reason to stop.

"Hey, what are you kids up to?" He asked as if he were just running into them out for a stroll.

"Oh look, the dweeb brought the nerd brigade to back him up." The kid who seemed to be the leader said. Ed wasn't frightened, he was bigger than most of them, and it wouldn't be hard to get rid of them. "Get out of here loser." The kid said to him.

"Well, you see here's the thing … There's five of you … And one of him. That hardly seems fair does it?" He asked as the kid that was on the ground sat up, wiping the blood from his nose.

"I said beat it ass hole." He said pulling a knife out of his pocket. Three of the kids saw the knife, and despite it being their friend who was holding it, took off running not wanting to get involved leaving just himself and one other friend who was holding onto the kid on the ground. Though he looked nervous and wanted to bolt as much as his friends did.

Edward remained standing where he was, not even flinching as the kid took a step forward with the knife in his hand.

"Tell me kid, do you know how to use that thing?" He asked calmly.

"What, you think I'm stupid?" The kid asked angrily.

Edward shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps a bit on the lower intelligence spectrum yes. But I can tell you there's more to using a knife on someone than 'pointy end goes into the skin.'" Ed said.

"He has a point you know, kid," Deidre agreed, crossing her arms and nodding sagely.

Kristen gave her a skeptical look.

"Well he does," Deidre shrugged.

"I ain't afraid of any of you! You think you're big tough adults? Bring it!" The kid said tauntingly.

Edward took a step towards him making the kid raise the knife. "Perhaps a lesson is required here. I'm not sure you know much about this type of thing ... I do." He said towering over him, not backing down in the slightest. "You see ... There's many parts of the body you could go for ... I'm a little curious as to what you'll choose ... If your intention is to kill, and by your behaviour I'm assuming it is ... Jugular and carotid arteries will bleed out very fast if they aren't held off." He said tracing his fingers over the kid's neck where his jugular is. "You can slice under someone's armpit," he said moving his fingers to the indicated area. "Behind the knee," he said lightly tapping the back of the kids knee with his foot. "or into the side of the neck with a deep enough cut that they can bleed out in under two minutes if their heart is beating fast. A well aimed thrust to the lung or heart," he said tapping him once over his right lung once over his heart. "can end a life pretty fast but unless the aim is right it may take longer to die from. Into the eye or through the temple can cause near instant brain damage and knock someone unconscious pretty fast if it doesn't kill that fast." He said hovering his fingers over the kid's eye and temple. The kid was frozen on the spot staring up at Ed, unsure of what to do.

"Some people can sustain massive trauma and survive or take a very long time to die depending on the circumstance. I suppose if you were to plan a murder, perhaps a plot can involve dosing the victim with blood thinners or some kind of amphetamine to speed up the heart rate and thus make bleeding out a much faster means of death." He said contemplatively.

"Keep in mind that the more bones in the way, the more likely your knife may be damaged or nicked or even caught on a rib bone. It's a very nice knife ... Not yours I'd think. Daddy's?" He caught the look of fear in his eyes and knew he struck a nerve. "Mmm ... Now here's the question Mr. Tough guy ... Are you actually going to use the knife ... Or are you going to walk away?"

"You don't scare me." The kid said, though he clearly sounded frightened.

"No? Then prove it." He said holding his hands out. "Stab me ... We'll see how frightened you are when you're sitting in Gotham Juvenile Hall with hand cuffs around your wrists. For murder at your age you'd be sentenced to a minimum of twenty years. Meaning by the time you got out to actually have a life you'd be ... Thirty five? If you even survive prison ... They don't keep you in juvey forever you know. Once you hit eighteen ... You're in with the big boys. And I can tell you they're much bigger bullies than you." He said menacingly. The kid lowered his knife, his hand shaking.

Kristen shook her head. "Jesus, Edward," she muttered, though a slight hint of a smile crept into her expression. Only Edward would scare a bully half to death using only trivia. Of course, the kid probably had no idea how Edward knew all of this. Given that this was Gotham, it could be any number of disturbing reasons.

"Go home kid … And put your father's knife back before he finds it missing. And the next time you pull a knife on someone …. You better be prepared to use it! Because in Gotham … 90% of people who pull out a knife …. Have it used on them instead of their victim." He said as the kid pocketed his knife.

"I …." He sounded nervous before he stood up straight again, trying to retain his confidence. "Whatever, this was boring anyway." He said. "Come on Chuck." He said going over to his bike and picking it up, the two taking off out of the parking lot.

Edward looked down at the kid. "You okay?"

"I … Y-yeah, I'm fine," the boy said, wiping a trickle of blood off of his face with the back of his hand, before shakily getting to his feet. "Thanks," he said, looking up at Edward, still more than a little nervous after that detailed lesson in ways to kill someone with a knife. "Seriously. You… You didn't have to do that."

"It was no trouble kid … Hey I was right where you are not so long ago. You have no idea how many times I wished someone would step in." He said pulling his hand out of his pocket to shake the kid's hand.

When the kid took his hand he pressed the closed handle of his own knife into the kid's palm. He pulled the kid a bit closer so he could talk without the girls hearing. "Remember what I said … Do not pull it out unless you plan on using it …. And only use it if it's necessary! If your life is in danger …. No other time. It's not a toy …" He said.

The boy's eyes widened as his hand closed around the handle of the knife, and he nodded earnestly, before tucking it away in his pocket. He nodded. "Thank you," he said again. "Really."

Kristen frowned. "Edward," she said slowly. "What did you just give that kid?"

"Nothing." Edward said innocently. "See you around kid. And hey kid … Don't stay out after dark … It's dangerous out here."

"Yes sir." The kid said moving over to his bike which was trashed and no longer rideable. He picked it up and started wheeling it towards home.

"Come on. Let's head home. I think after that I really need a drink." He said. "I wasn't nearly as brave as I looked back there."

"That's alright, Ed," Deidre said, taking one arm as Kristen took the other. "We'll walk you home." She was frankly impressed with the amount of nerve he'd just shown.

"Seriously, though," Kristen said, with a stern, almost librarian-esque look over the rims of her glasses. "What did you give him? Please tell me you did not just give that kid a knife?"

"Okay. I did not just give that kid a knife." He said, telling her exactly what she requested to hear.

"You did, didn't you!" Kristen shoved him slightly, pushing him further against Deidre.

"Hey!" Deidre laughed. "I'm walking here!" before shoving him back against Kristen.

"Hey, hey, I am not a slinkey!" He said moving out from between them.

"No, but I'm sure you'd be fun to push down stairs." Deidre joked.

"Excuse you!" Kristen said indignantly. "No one gave you permission to push my man down stairs!"

Edward moved to the other side of Kristen so that she was in the middle. "Your man? I love it when you get all possessive." He said with an amused smile as he put his arm around her, glad the topic moved away from the knife.

"Well, that works out nicely," Kristen said, putting a hand around Edward's waist. "Because you're all mine." She turned and stuck her tongue out at Deidre.

Deidre grinned. "Put that away unless you plan to use it."

"Get your mind out of the gutter! It's filthy in there!"

Ed looked between the two confused. "Okay you lost me." He said not having seen Kristen stick out her tongue.

"You didn't miss anything," Kristen said. "Deidre's just being a pervert."

"She started it," Deidre insisted, smirking.

They reached home soon after, Edward placing the bag of alcohol down on the counter. He knew he should spend his time applying for jobs but, he felt like he really didn't have the energy to focus on anything serious, not with the alcohol he'd drank before still buzzing through his veins.

Kristen went to get three glasses and bring them over.

"So," Deidre said, pulling bottles out of their paper bags and mixing concoctions together. "Are you going back to job application drudgery, or are you going to keep partying with us?"

"I really should get back to applying for jobs." Ed said sitting down at the table and looking over at them, his laptop sitting in front of him, though he kept it closed.

"If you want us to leave you alone and let you work…" Kristen said reluctantly.

"He doesn't," Deidre interrupted. "Do you, Ed?"

"How do you know what I want?" Edward asked as Deidre brought him over a drink.

"Because you my friend … Are going to have another drink …. And then you're going to join us downstairs on the nice plushy carpet, and play strip poker with us." She said as if that were in fact exactly what he was going to do, and he had no choice in the matter.

"We're doing what, now?" Kristen laughed. She shook her head, looking at Edward's face to try to gage his comfort level. "You don't have to," she assured him.

"I really don't care either way." He said leaning back in his chair. "I think it's too late to apply for jobs anyway …. Might as well have some fun. It's not like I have anything to do tomorrow, I'll just dedicate my entire day to job hunting." He said looking up at Kristen. "Do you want to? Just so you know … I'm really good at poker. I'm really good at everything come to think of it."

Kristen laughed. "Most things, certainly," she agreed, pouring herself another drink. "Alright. If you're up for it, then so am I."

"Well, I hope you're prepared to take your clothes off girls, because I have to say I have no intention of even taking off a single sock!" He said picking up the glass of alcohol Deidre had placed on the table in front of him. "To the basement!"

"We'll see about that!" Kristen said, following him down to the trapdoor. "We won't make it easy on you."

Three drinks later Ed sat on the floor on the carpet in nothing but his boxers.

"Bet em up Ed!" Deidre said laughing as she tossed her panties on the table. Ed looked down at her, where she still was wearing her jeans.

"How did you get your panties off?" Ed asked confused, trying to distract her away from the removal of his boxers. There was no way he was removing them. It was the only thing he had left to bet.

"She's talented like that," Kristen remarked, tossing hers on the table as well. Though she still had on a pale green slip, despite Deidre's and Edward's consensus that it was cheating. "Now, you heard the lady. Off with your boxers!" She wasn't entirely sure how many drinks she'd had by this point, since Deidre kept refilling her glass when she wasn't looking.

"Alright, that's it. I'm done. I concede." He said throwing his cards down on the table. "There is no way ima take ma boxers off." He said slurring slightly.

"No fair!" Kristen declared, poking him in the side. "Everyone else's undies are off."

"That's a pity," Deidre said, sitting back and sipping at her drink with a smirk. "I didn't take you for a quitter. I guess you lose."

"Everyone else has other clothes on." He said before looking at Deidre as if he'd figured her out. "You just wanna see my peepee don't you?" He asked drunkenly reverting to what his son calls that area.

Kristen burst out laughing. "Did you really just work that out? She's very determined when it comes to nudity."

"My motives regarding your 'peepee' are entirely irrelevant," Deidre said, still the most coherent out of all of them, despite the quantities of liquor she'd been throwing back. "The point is, you lose. Because you quit. Because you don't think you can beat us after all."

"If I were sober I'd have you both naked and be fully clothed and the cards would win!" Edward demanded pointing his finger onto the table as if that fact were final. "And you know it!"

"You just keep telling yourself that, Peepee," Deidre smirked. "You haven't seen me at the casinos."

"It's true," Kristen nodded earnestly. "She's banned from half the casinos in Gotham." Though only some of those bans were due to unbreakable winning streaks. Others were for entirely different reasons.

"Yeah fine. We'll call it a draw then, and we'll do a rematch tomorrow with no drinks!" He said standing up from the table and staggering slightly. "I'ma go bed." He said before muttering something about cheating as he tried to make his way towards the stairs.

"But no!" Kristen protested, tugging at his arm as he got up to leave. "That's no fun."

"You're definitely being a spoilsport right now," Deidre agreed.

"Yeah. I'm a spoil sport!" Ed said sticking his tongue out at them. He pulled his hand out of Kristen's hand and stumbled up the narrow stairs.

"Well, then I'm coming too!" Kristen declared, following a few steps below him, staggering slightly more than she had anticipated. "You know, your butt looks fantastic from this angle."

"Both your butts look fantastic from this angle," Deidre said, coming up behind both of them on the stairs.

"Hey, quit looking at that," Kristen protested.

"Make me."

"Stop staring at my girlfriends ass! That's my ass!" Edward said reaching the top of the stairs and crawling up the last bit onto the floor. He couldn't remember when he'd last been this drunk, but the entire room was spinning.

"I claim your ass too," Deidre asserted, laughing as Edward reverted to crawling. "All the asses are mine!"

"Oh yeah, well… Then whose ass is your ass?" Kristen said, for lack of a more coherent argument. Finding Edward blocking the way, she sprawled on top of him. "Protect the Edward's ass!" She declared.

Deidre shook her head. They were both complete lightweights. She seriously had to work on their alcohol tolerance. "One problem," she said, slapping her from behind, making Kristen jump. "Who's protecting yours?"

"Hey!" Edward said grabbing Kristen's ass. "Don't touch my stuff!" Ed said looking squinty eyed at her.

"Oh?" Deidre smirked down at him. "What are you going to do about it?"

Edward reached up and without thinking about what he was doing pinched Deidre's nipple, causing her to shriek.

"Edward!" Kristen yelped. "What did you just do?"

After recovering from the slight shock, Deidre reached over in retaliation and groped the bulge in Edward's boxers.

Kristen looked back and forth from Edward to Deidre, stunned.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Deidre asked, a wicked grin on her face.

"I…" Kristen blushed profusely, still looking back and forth at the two of them. "I don't know. Am I? Are we?"

"It's time to take over the world?" Ed asked, climbing out from under them and stumbling towards the bed, completely oblivious to what they were talking about.

Kristen couldn't help giggling slightly as Edward stumbled away, the conversation completely flying over his head, even as he caught the cartoon reference perfectly.

"Not quite," Deidre said, getting up to follow him. "It's time to take over the bed."


	26. Chapter 26

Kristen woke with a groan, burying her face in the pillow in protest against the glare of daylight. She nestled close between Edward and … and … She opened her eyes, blinking in disbelieving realization as the drunken memories came pouring in. She, Deidre, and Edward were all sprawled across the bed together in a sleepy, naked tangle of limbs. Edward's boxers were on the floor a few feet away, Kristen's slip was flung over a chair, and Deidre's jeans had somehow landed on the kitchen table. They must have fallen asleep like this … She blushed more and more deeply as she remembered everything else they had done. This … was going to be awkward.

Edward groaned as he rolled over, his hand moving to Kristen's breast as …. Edward paused. That was definitely not Kristen's breast. It was a bit … Larger than hers. He pulled his hand away and opened his eyes to see Deidre laying on the other side of Kristen, his hand now on Kristen's stomach. He moved to sit up but groaned, grabbing his head and laid back down.

"What happened?" He asked, not remember anything from last night. He remembered strip poker, and coming upstairs. A conversation about their asses and the rest was a blur. "And why does my butt hurt?"

Kristen looked over at Edward, and blushed even deeper. "You … Don't remember anything at all?" What had they been thinking? They hadn't given this any thought at all, hadn't even discussed it; they had been far too drunk for that. She hid her face in the pillow again, mortified. "I … Ask Deidre."

Deidre groaned and turned over in bed, wrapping herself around Ed who tensed uncomfortably. "Both of you shut up, I'm trying to sleep."

"Deidre," Kristen said, awkwardly stuck between them. "I think we need to talk about what happened last night."

Deidre groaned though it came out more like a purr. "What's to talk about? We both sucked his dick, we all had lots of sex, I fucked Ed's butt which, might I add …. Ed those noises you made where …. Mmmm." She said moaning at the memory of it. "It was fun."

"You what?!" Edward said looking up at her.

Kristen hit Deidre with the pillow. "That," she said, more embarrassed than ever. "Is definitely something we need to talk about. I don't think Edward even remembers any of it, and you seem to remember more than I do, and …Edward and I are in a relationship, but all three of us just had sex, so… We need to talk about that."

Deidre groaned as she was hit with a pillow. "Can you stop yelling please?!" She said as Edward put his hand up to his own head.

"Okay, okay we need to talk … Again … First …. I'm going to go locate some aspirin." He said detaching himself from Deidre who had her hand on his arm while Kristen' hit her with the pillow. He moved towards the bathroom, grabbing his boxers on the way. A few moments later he came out in a bathrobe and had a bottle of aspirin in his hands. "Either of you want one?" He asked, grabbing three bottles of water from the fridge.

Kristen nodded, before dragging herself out of bed with a groan and pulling the slip back on, since the rest of her clothes were downstairs. "Yes, please," she said. Now that she was upright, her head was killing her.

Ed dished out two aspirin each and handed them both a bottle of water. He downed both of his aspirin and moved to sit back down on the bed, leaning against the pipe headboard. "So who wants to tackle this one first?"

Kristen downed the aspirin gratefully, before sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Edward, crossing her arms. "So … That just happened." Which left a number of questions. Not the least of which was why Deidre just happened to have certain items in her purse. "So … Where does this leave us now?"

"That's a very good question." Ed said. "Do we walk away from this and pretend it didn't happen? Or does something come of this? And if so then what?" He asked.

"There ain't no way I'm letting go of this. I've had Ed's ass and now I want more." Deidre said pinching Ed's ass jokingly, making him jump.

"Deidre can you be serious for once, please?" Ed asked.

"Sorry." She said sitting up. "I just tend to make jokes when things are tense or uncomfortable."

"I know you do," Kristen sighed. "This is just kind of weird for me, since I've been with both of you before." Though, last night, it hadn't felt weird or complicated at all. She hadn't felt jealous or insecure. It had just been fun … Though now they had to deal with the ramifications. She shook her head. "I just … Want to know how you both feel about it. Other than your obsessive fixation with my boyfriend's ass."

"Well, I'm not the one in a committed relationship … So personally I enjoyed it, I'd love to do it again some time. But I don't want to put any strain on your relationship … So whatever you two decide … I'll respect that." Deidre said as Ed stared at the sheets, slowly starting to remember some of the events of last night, more particularly how much he'd enjoyed it.

"How do you feel about all this?" Edward asked Kristen. Did she still have feelings for Deidre? He didn't feel like he was in competition with her at all, in fact he didn't even feel any jealousy towards her if Kristen did …

Kristen looked up at him. "I enjoyed it," she admitted. "With both of you. It's confusing, but …" She shrugged, unable to explain it to them or to herself. "It felt weirdly … right. But our relationship is what's most important to me, and I don't want to risk messing that up." She hesitated nervously, then asked, "How do you feel about this, Ed?"

"I don't know. I feel weird about it but … Not a bad weird." He said with a slight shrug. "I think the main question here is what are our options?"

"We could dismiss it as a one-time occurrence, and move on as normal," Kristen said, stating the simplest option. "Or, if … If everyone's interested in doing something like that again … Then we need to figure out what all three of us are to each other. Is Deidre somehow involved in this relationship too, or is this just … something else we do together? And are there ground rules?"

"Well," said Deidre. "You two are sickeningly cute together … I might be inclined to try that out, see what it feels like, but that's really up to both of you."

"You mean like …. A three way relationship?" Edward asked curiously. He'd never thought of it before but the idea didn't seem like a bad one. He couldn't imagine being in one but …. Perhaps they could try.

"It's one way we could approach things," Kristen said, surprised that Edward seemed so open to the idea. "It's not something I've ever tried myself, but … some people seem to make it work."

"As long as no one suddenly becomes the jealous type," Deidre added, eying Edward appraisingly. "You haven't seemed to have that problem, but …" Her gaze moved over to Kristen. "It can creep up on people."

"I think we could try it." Edward said looking at Kristen. "If that's something you wanted to do. I'm open to the idea. I think it would be a bit weird, and I'm not exactly for or against it. But I'm willing to give it a shot, see how it goes."

"I don't know if indifference is really a good reason to do this," Kristen said, trying to interpret Edward's expression. "If you're interested in trying, that's one thing," and she had to admit she was. "But if someone's just going along with it because they think that's what everyone else wants … That seems like it could only end disastrously."

"Well, I'm not going to know if I like something unless I do it right? I've never thought about being in a relationship with two people before … I mean, two other people. It's just … Odd I suppose. But I would be entirely willing to try it. I meant I wasn't for or against the concept of being in a three way relationship … Maybe I'm not making sense I don't know." Ed said, honestly wishing his head would stop throbbing long enough for him to think clearly. "I'd be willing to try it though."

"Makes sense to me," said Deidre. She turned and looked at Kristen. "So, what's the verdict? Are we giving this a shot?"

"I …" Kristen looked at both of them. This all still didn't seem real. "I guess we are. So … now what? Are there ground rules, or do we just figure things out as we go along?"

"I think a main ground rule should be don't be stingy …" Edward said. "No jealousy, though I can see that maybe becoming an issue, but I'm not sure. Communication is a must, more so now than in a relationship between just two people."

"That seems like a good start," Kristen agreed. Though she wondered just how much Edward would be willing to communicate to Deidre. But he was going to have to work his way toward trusting her at his own pace. "If we're all communicating, I think we can keep jealousy from getting out of hand." She knew her insecurities could get the better of her from time to time … And Deidre knew it too. But consistent communication was the best way to put those to rest.

"No problems there," Deidre smiled slightly. "I don't do jealousy … And I tend to communicate way more than you really want to hear."

"I think honesty would be another big one." Edward said leaning against the headboard of the bed again. "No keeping anything from each other. If we're going to build trust then we're going to have to be open about everything." He said looking at Kristen, knowing she would know what he was talking about.

Kristen's eyebrows raised slightly as she looked over at Edward. "Is that something you would be comfortable doing?" she asked. They had accumulated so many secrets by now, and he had been so unnerved to learn that Deidre knew one of them. Granted, he might not feel that way if he revealed those secrets on his own terms, but … it was still a big adjustment to make.

"Why?" Deidre laughed. "Any more deep, dark secrets I should know about?"

"What do you think?" Edward asked Kristen, "You know her better than I do." He said.

"Well …" Kristen glanced over at Deidre. "Personally, I trust her completely. And she's always lived up to that trust." And she deserved to know what she was getting into. "But … I can't decide for you what you should or shouldn't tell her." That had been disastrous last time.

Edward sighed as he leaned his head back against the wall. He looked at Deidre. "Anything we tell you would stay between us right?" He asked.

"Sure," Deidre said, her expression neutral, as she crossed her arms. "As long as you're not hurting my Kristen … You may have noticed, I can be a teensy bit protective."

"When Kristen told you that I killed my father …. He's not the only person I killed." He said watching Deidre's expression.

"Not the only person?" Deidre repeated, shooting a glance at Kristen. Really, after all the times Kristen had gotten on her case about terrible decision-making, they were going to have to have a serious talk about her dating history. "Okay, then," Deidre said, before turning her attention back to Edward. "Care to tell me your total body count so far?"

"So far?" Edward asked, she made it sound like it was going to continue. "Four." He said honestly.

"There were reasons," Kristen said quietly, watching the guarded expression on Deidre's face.

"Well, I would hope so," Deidre said, running a hand through her hair absently. "I think I've already got the picture on what happened with your father … So, what's the story with the other three?"

"The first Kristen didn't know until recently. Until after the events that happened with my father. Her … Boyfriend at the time was rather abusive. I tried talking to him and he attacked me. The second was when we were … Hiding my father's body. A hunter found us, so I killed him before he could tell anyone. The last … Is probably less excusable. Galavan hurt a friend of mine … He killed his mother … So I found one of his employees. Helped him exact some sort of revenge." He said with a shrug.

"Though Galavan's employee wasn't innocent either," Kristen pointed out quickly. "He was looking for … for Edward's friend on Galavan's behalf, so …"

"I get it," Deidre waved a hand, shaking her head. "Sounds like that hunter was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, though … One crime tends to lead to another like that," she said, still trying to process all of it. "Sounds like you killed first one guy in self defense, and then another, and after that things … escalated." She looked over at Kristen. "And how many of these murders were you an accomplice to?"

"Well," Kristen said, looking up at her with a slightly pained expression. "Except for Daugherty, I was there at some point for all of them."

"Jesus, Kristen," Deidre said, still more shocked than she was letting on. "You're in way over your head here. Both of you." She sighed. "On the bright side, Daugherty won't be bothering you again, so … There's that." She'd never met the guy, or she might have done something herself, but from what she knew about him, she didn't feel much sympathy toward him.

"This doesn't scare you?" Ed asked surprised. He was sure she was going to bombard him with questions, or leave … Perhaps inquire about their own safety. But she didn't … She tried working out the situation logically, despite there being little logic to his actions.

"I didn't say that," Deidre pointed out. "Though at the moment, I'm a little too stunned to be scared. It'll set in later, I'm sure. On the one hand, you've killed four people, which if you ask me, sounds like it's becoming a habit. Not to mention, you've gotten Kristen involved in your twisted little world … On the other hand," she said, with a tone of great solemnity. "You do have an amazing ass."

Kristen snorted. "So you're really still here for his ass?"

"No," Deidre said, shoving Kristen slightly. "That's just a bonus." She looked at her, concern in her eyes. "I'm here for you," she said seriously. "If you insist on following Ed into all this madness, then I'm coming with you. Heaven forbid I should have to be the rational one, but … It looks like you're going to need it."

"And if it continued?" Edward asked. "What then?" He asked looking at Deidre. He had already told Kristen that he enjoyed it, but he didn't know Deidre's opinion on the matter.

"If it does continue," Deidre said, her voice taking on a cold, hard edge, her stare becoming deathly serious. "Then you had better make damn sure that it never becomes a threat to Kristen."

"Deidre," Kristen interrupted defensively. "Edward has never hurt me. He's not like that."

"I know that," Deidre said, though her tone didn't soften in the slightest. "Which is the only reason I haven't personally kidnapped you away from him. You make terrible decisions where men are concerned, Kris, you always have. I refuse to let that happen again, but I'm willing to give this one a chance." She turned her glare back on Edward. "So, do we have an understanding?"

Edward nodded. "I would never willingly put you or Kristen in danger." He said. "I'm also not sure if you know but I also have a kid, and no matter what, he will always be my first priority. I hope you can understand that."

"Yeah, about that," Deidre said. "I haven't seen him around, but I've been told apparently there's a custody battle going on, or something like that. What's the situation there?"

"It's … complicated," said Kristen. "His mother has primary custody, but seems … indifferent toward Rubix at best. And lately we have reason to suspect …" She looked over at Edward, uncertain whether she should tell her, or whether he would prefer to do it. She knew it was a deeply painful and personal subject for him.

"She's abusing him." Edward said. "Her or her boyfriend, possibly both … And it's not suspicion, we have proof." Edward said pointing to his phone. "I just recently found a lawyer that's actually willing to help me … He's trying to get a court date set up, and advised that I get a job before then."

"Jesus," Deidre shook her head. "We'd better get you employed, and fast. You've got interviews on Monday, right? What are your other prospects?"

"Well … If push comes to shove and I'm not employed by then I could always say I'm self employed. Fake it like I did with my education … Thing is if Barnes catches wind of it, and I'm sure he's watching me, I could be arrested. So I think finding a job is in my best interest." He said with a sigh. "I was also thinking of contacting Jim again. See if he can dig up anything that can be used against her in court."

Edward paused as his phone buzzed. He grabbed it off the side dresser and looked at the call display. "Speak of the devil." He said answering the phone.

"Ed … I got good news for you!" Jim said happily. "Bullock contacted a few of his people, we have justifiable cause for an arrest on Brittany Free and her boyfriend … I can't give you the details but we're going to the apartment today. I'll contact you once we have Rubix here. Normally we would put a child in protective care, but since you're his father I don't see it being an issue for him to stay with you until the court date." Jim said.

"That …. That's fantastic!" He said looking up at Kristen despite the fact that she couldn't hear what Jim had said.

"Even if she doesn't serve jail time the arrest would be on her records … It would be a severe mark against her and will help in the custody battle. What?" Jim asked clearly talking to someone else. "No I'm not telling him that. No I'm not asking him that. Let-"

"Ed." Harvey's voice came onto the phone. "I don't know what you're doing but you better get your ass up and be applying for jobs. I ain't pulling in these favours for you just so you can sit on your-"

There was clearly a slight scuffle before Jim came back on the phone. "Sorry Ed." Jim said. "Good luck with the job hunting. And seriously, take whatever you can get, so long as it's full time. Get this settled and then look for a job you want."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know. Thank you so much Jim." Edward said before letting the call go.

"What was it?" Kristen asked, standing up. "What did Jim say?"

Deidre watched them both intently. Kristen seemed as invested in this as Edward was, and she couldn't have even met the kid more than once or twice. But Deidre thought she understood her reasons. She'd always wanted so badly to be a part of a functional family.

"Jim has cause for an arrest. He's going to call me today when I can pick up Rubix. In the meantime I'm going to apply for more jobs." He said happily. "All I really care about right now, is he's here until the court date!"

"That's great!" Kristen said, running over and hugging him. That would be a huge relief, to know that Rubix was here with them, that he wasn't being hurt while he was away. "So we just go and pick him up from the precinct?"

Deidre shook her head. "Still must be rough for the kid," she said. "He won't understand what's going on, why the police are there arresting people … But at least he'll be safe. And he'll probably feel better once he's here."

"Yeah I know it'll be hard on him, but at least it's better than the alternative." He said, grateful that that advil was finally kicking in. He got up and moved over to his laptop, clicking it open.


	27. Chapter 27

Ed was dressed not long later and had spent the day applying for any job he could. He'd already had two calls for an interview later that week and when his phone rang again he was expecting another interview call.

"Hey Ed." Edward closed his laptop when he heard Jim's voice.

"Do you have him?" He asked.

"Ed, calm down. Yes, he's here. Everything went smoothly, he's safe. You can come down and get him. You'll just need to fill out the paperwork. I'll see you in a bit."

Kristen looked up at Edward from across the room. "Do you want me to come with you?" she asked.

"If you want to." He said standing up and going to put his shoes on.

"I'll come," she said, slipping on her shoes and picking up her jacket. Edward shouldn't have to go alone. And she was anxious to see how Rubix was doing. Deidre was right; there was a good chance that he was frightened and confused by everything that had happened.

The ride to the GCPD was quiet, though thankfully they didn't get pulled over from Ed speeding on occasion. They reached their destination quickly and Ed was out of the car and already on the sidewalk before Kristen even had her door open.

Kristen hurried after him to catch up, not asking him to slow down. She knew he was in a hurry to get to his son.

"Nygma." Edward paused as Barnes approached him once he entered the GCPD. "Unless you have a crime to report you're not authorized to be here."

"Relax Barnes, I called him. He's just here to pick up his kid." Jim said approaching them. "Hey Ed. Harvey has him in the interrogation room. We figured he'd be better away from all the commotion out here." He said.

Kristen stiffened as Barnes approached, and gave him a reproachful look. It had been tense, to say the least, working under the man who had fired Edward. Fortunately, she didn't interact much with him directly on a day-to-day basis. She relaxed slightly as Jim approached, and she took Edward's hand in hers as they followed him through the bustle of GCPD toward the interrogation room.

"How's he doing?" she asked Jim.

"He's fine. He's been occupied with Harvey who's taking every excuse not to work." Jim said as if it were obvious. Which it most likely was.

Jim opened the interrogation room door and allowed Ed in first. When he stepped in Harvey was sitting in a chair attempting to play peek-a-boo and making baby noises at Rubix who did not look amused. In fact he looked rather annoyed and bored from where he sat on the floor staring up at the giant idiot in front of him.

As soon as Ed came in though he was up and across the room screaming "DADA!" He said practically jumping into Ed's arms as he bent down to his level.

Kristen smiled warmly as she watched them. Though Rubix was more exuberant about it, she could tell Edward was just as happy. Things had been so rough for him lately. If he could just have peace of mind over Rubix, maybe every other burden would seem lighter.

She looked over at Bullock. "Thanks for watching him," she said appreciatively, mildly amused. She would never have pictured him ineptly making faces at a toddler. Even if it hadn't gone over well with Rubix, the man had been trying. "I know this isn't in your usual job description."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I was just sitting here making sure he didn't swallow his tongue or something." Harvey said looking awkwardly around the room knowing he'd been caught.

"Hey buddy." Edward said sitting down in front of Rubix. "You okay?" He asked drawing Rubix's attention back to him. He felt anger seeth through him at the sight of the bruise on Rubix's neck.

"I fine dada!" He said climbing into his lap and wrapping his arms around his neck. "We go your house today?" He asked.

"Yes, you're going to come stay with me for a while okay?" He said watching the happy grin come over Rubix's little face.

"Yay!" He said jumping up and running over to Kristen. "Kisten too?" He asked jumping up and down.

Kristen laughed, bending down to give Rubix a hug. "Yes," she confirmed. "Me too." She had noticed the bruise on his neck too, and it pained her, but at least they'd gotten him away from his mother. He was safe for now … And if Edward could just get custody, he would stay that way.

"We just need you to fill out some papers, Ed, then you can take him home." Jim said, leaning in the doorway.

"Right. Thank you for this." He said smiling kindly at Jim.

"Just glad I could help," Jim said with a slight shrug.

"Seriously," Kristen said, picking up Rubix. "We owe you." Edward had managed to keep going as well as could be expected, but he'd been beside himself over this.

"Hey …. I helped too." Harvey said leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed. "In case anyone's forgotten."

"Yes, thank you Detective Bullock." Edward said before following Jim to go fill out the papers.


	28. Chapter 28

It was nearly a week later when Ed came home to find Rubix sleeping in his bed, Kristen sitting at the dining room table.

"Hey." Ed said quietly. "How's he been?" He asked, gently placing his keys on the table and kicking his shoes off.

"Energetic," Kristen said with a tired smile, getting up to go greet him. "He finally tired himself out, though." She walked over to Edward and kissed him. "How did the GED go?" she asked.

"Good." He said kissing her back. "I also have good news." He said though he didn't look as if he were too happy about it. "I got a full time job. It's a horrid job but …. At least I have something until I find something better. And the hours won't be as nuts as when I worked at the GCPD. I was just down to talk to Marian, she's willing to watch Rubix during the day while I'm at work."

"That's good at least," Kristen said, smoothing back Edward's hair. It was a relief to know he'd at least found something. "And it's just for now. So what is this dreaded job?"

"Outbound sales at a call centre. Apparently the guy who did my interview liked my lack of job experience because he wouldn't have to break me of old habits." He said sounding a little annoyed. "Have you had supper yet?" He asked.

Kristen shook her head. "No, I haven't," she admitted. She'd been too preoccupied keeping up with Rubix. "You?"

"No. I was thinking of ordering Chinese. What do you think?" He asked.

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. As tired as Edward seemed when he came in, she didn't think either of them was up to anything more than that.

When the food finally came Rubix was already slowly starting to stir and Edward woke him up to tell him supper was ready. He picked him up and carried him over to the table. "We should keep him up for a few hours other wise he'll be up at four am.

Kristen nodded with a slight wince. "That sounds like something you learned from experience," she said sympathetically, as she set out a plate for Rubix, dishing out a little of everything for him to try.

Edward nodded. "Oh, more nights than I care to count." He said dishing out his own food and watching with a small smile as Kristen fell easily into the 'mom' role.

"What are you smiling at?" Kristen asked, looking over at him, slightly confused. She sat down and started filling her own plate as well.

"Nothing … You're just … Really good with him." He said as Rubix moved up onto his knees as he picked up his plastic children's fork to eat his food.

"Well," Kristen said, happily. "He's not that difficult to get along with … Are you, Rubix?"

Rubix said nothing as he ate his food, knowing better than to talk with his mouth full.

"So I start my new job tomorrow." He said sounding unamused.

"I know it's not as mentally stimulating as your old job," Kristen said sympathetically. "But I'm glad you at least found something for now. What are your hours like?" she asked. "I guess they're at least a little more regular?"

"8-4 Monday to Friday and 9-3 first two Saturday's of every month. Second two Saturday's are optional, but both give at least three and a half hours over time. I could also work evening over time if I wanted. Down side is if I miss a single shift I lose my commission for that week."

"That … is a lot," Kristen admitted, wincing slightly. "At least they won't be calling you in at two in the morning, though."

"And I won't be there for 36 hours straight. Longest they could keep me for is thirteen hours, and even then it would be voluntary. I can't see myself staying a double shift unless it was the end of the week and I'm trying to hit the next commission level." He said glancing over at Rubix who ignored them, probably because he didn't understand what they were talking about.

"Hey Rubix. Do you want to go to Marian's tomorrow?" He asked.

"No." Rubix said. "I stay here pay wif you." He said as if that were a statement of fact and as simple as that.

"But Daddy's gotta work tomorrow Rubix … So I'm going to take you to go play with Marian tomorrow." He said as Rubix played with the food on his plate.

"Kay." He said trying to scoop some noodles onto his fork which kept falling off.

"It'll be fun," Kristen reassured Rubix. "Marian and Ben will be glad to see you."

Edward cut up Rubix's noodles with his own knife so that he could get them onto his fork better. "Do you work tomorrow?" Edward asked. "My work isn't far from the GCPD, so if you want a ride I can take you."

"That would be great," Kristen said. As unenthusiastic as he seemed about this new job, she was determined to place as much focus on the positive side as possible. And she missed riding to work together.


	29. Chapter 29

"I'll get it," Kristen called as the doorbell rang. Edward was busy putting the final touches on Rubix's birthday cake, while the toddler eagerly hung around asking questions. It seemed he'd never had a proper birthday party before, and didn't seem to fully understand what all this was about. But he understood cake and presents well enough.

When she answered the door Jim and Lee stood on the other side, a child held in Jim's arms, a young girl that looked about Rubix's age, perhaps a bit older.

"Hey guys." Ed said smiling up at them from where they stood in the doorway.

"Hey," Jim said, smiling a little in spite of himself.

"Hi there," Lee said, before looking down at Rubix. "How's the birthday boy?"

"Who's that?" Rubix asked curiously, looking over at his dad and pointing at Lee his fingers covered in drool from having his hand in his mouth prior.

"That's our friend Lee," Kristen said. "And you've already met Jim, right?"

He nodded, his fingers back in his mouth again. "Who's that?" He asked pointing at the little girl in Jim's arms who was now struggling to get down.

"We haven't met yet," Kristen said, smiling. "Jim, would you be so kind as to introduce us?"

"Why do you let them in first." Ed said with a chuckle.

"Right," Kristen said, blushing slightly. "I mean, if you insist on being sensible about it…" She backed away from the door enough to give Jim and Lee room to enter.

Jim put the little girl down and she hid behind Lee, staring at Rubix.

"Rubix this is my niece, Maggie. Maggie this is Rubix." Lee said. Rubix smiled brightly at her.

"Hi Megwie …. Wanna come play formers?" He asked.

Maggie looked up uncertainly at Jim, who gave her an encouraging nod, before she happily said "Okay!" And came out of hiding behind Lee, running off to go play with Rubix.

"Well, they certainly made friends quickly," Lee observed, her expression amused.

"Rubix, bring the toys you want upstairs, I don't want you two running up and down those narrow stairs okay? It's dangerous." Ed said taking his apron off and hanging it on the oven handle.

"Kay dada." He said looking at Maggie. "Stay heew okay?" He said before running down the stairs.

"Okay," Maggie nodded earnestly, though she peered through the trapdoor curiously, clearly interested in seeing what was down there.

Ed smile kindly at Lee and Jim. "This is Marian and Ben, guys this Jim and Lee. I used to work with them." He said as Ben stood from the table and came to shake Jim's hand. He kissed Lee's knuckles, ever the old fashioned gentleman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Ben said before there was a loud banging on the door. They weren't expecting anyone else ….

"Hey, you wanna let me in? Or should I just take this elsewhere?" Bullock asked from the other side of the door.

Kristen went to go get the door again. "Harvey," she said as she opened it, surprised. Bullock stood there looking slightly awkward with a haphazardly-wrapped present in his hands. Kristen smiled. The brusque detective had picked up some real concern for the kid. "Come in," she said, stepping aside. "Jim and Lee just got here."

Harvey put the box down next to the table, the box making a low thud as it hit the ground. He stood up again, clearly having hurt his back but trying to play it off. "I was in the area … Jim mentioned he'd be here so …. Thought I'd pop in." He said panting from his climb up the stairs.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Kristen said, hiding a slight smirk. Somehow, she doubted he had just happened to be in the area with a massive present.

"So where's the cake?" Harvey said clapping and rubbing his hands together.

"Relax Harv …" Jim said shaking his head. The man had an odd sense of humour and no doubt he was joking …. But Jim knew it was only half a joke.

"We were actually going to eat and then let Rubix open his presents, then we'll get to the cake." Edward said as Rubix got back upstairs with as many Transformers his little arms could carry.

He put them gently on the floor and knelt down to show them all to Maggie.

Maggie clapped her hands delightedly and sat down next to Rubix, picking up one of the Transformers. "What's this one's name?" she asked.

Rubix went along naming them all and showing her how to Transform them all as the adults sat on chairs around the table, which wasn't big enough for all of them to eat but was fine to converse.

It wasn't long later that Maggie started crying. "I sowwy!" She said as Rubix looked up at her. "I broked it!" Rubix took it from her and looked at it, taking a moment to try to put the broken arm back on, but it was in fact broken. It was his favourite one too. He put it to the side and hugged Maggie.

"Is okay." He said letting go and offering her another Transformer.

Maggie started to cheer up again, still sniffling a little as she dried her eyes and took the other Transformer in her little hands, holding it as if it were made of glass.

Kristen smiled slightly over at Edward. "He's such a sweet kid," she said. And she was pretty sure he hadn't learned it from his mom.

"Seems genetic." Bullock said though he made it at least sound condescending.

"Harvey, be nice." Jim said elbowing him in the arm.

"I am being nice." Harvey said as Edward brought out a tray of hot dogs, already set in the buns.

"I didn't know you had it in you," Kristen said, her tone drily amused. If he really did say anything to put Edward down, though, she would have a word or two to say about it.

Dinner went by quickly, with Bullock surprisingly quiet for once, probably because he had food in his mouth, and Ben told a story about something that had happened when Ed was a teen … A humorous story that Ed pretended to find the humour in.

Soon it was time for presents, though the concept seemed to confuse Rubix more than anything. Edward pulled him into his lap and handed him the present. He looked at it confused before looking up at his dad.

"Here, you tear the paper off." He said showing him one of the folds.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because there's a present inside. For you." He said as Rubix looked down at it.

"For me?" He asked looking up at him again.

"Yes, for you … Go ahead and open it." Edward said.

"But papows pretty." Rubix said lifting the box up and looking at it.

"Tell you what," Kristen said, smiling. "If you want, we can cut the paper off carefully so it won't get messed up."

"Or you can tear it up." Ed said. "You can see what's inside. Aren't you excited to see what it is?" Edward asked, starting to feel weird and slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah." Rubix said. "I can open it?"

"Yes you can open it Rubix." Ben said, "That one's from me. Go on." Rubix looked at it again a moment before he pulled it open, though he was trying to be careful with the paper when he was done he tossed the paper onto the floor.

"A Rubik's cube!" Rubix said excitedly and showed Edward his new Rubik's cube, still brand new in the package.

"What do you say?" Edward asked.

"Thank you!" Rubix said and put it down excited to move onto the next present. All in all he got a Rubik's cube from Ben, a new Transformer from Marian, a walkie talkie from Lee, a police man's toy set with a matching robber set from Jim to play cops and robbers, and a toy sword from Maggie. They saved the heavy one for last which they made Bullock carry over since it was too heavy for Rubix to lift on his own, it was rather large, and he put it down again with another soft thud, though the noise made it seem like Bullock was over exaggerating how heavy it was.

"Nother one?" Rubix asked.

"Yep, last one kid. You'll love it …. And your father will hate it." Bullock said with a smug smile.

Kristen traded slightly uneasy looks with Edward as Rubix started eagerly, but carefully, to pull off the wrapping paper.

Once Rubix had it open he looked at the box eagerly, though he didn't know what it was. Edward sighed as he looked at Bullock.

"What?" Bullock asked. "Every kid needs Power Wheels! And look …. It's even a police bike to go with his policeman hat." He said picking up the police hat and putting on his own head though it was way too small, so really it was just resting on top of his head.

Kristen looked from the dismayed expression on Edward's face, to Rubix, to Harvey with the little police hat perched atop his head, and burst out laughing. "That's very generous of you, Harvey," she said.

"He's going to be unstoppable in that thing," Lee said, amused.

"Oh, I'm sure the furniture will stop him …. Or the trap door." Edward said looking down at Rubix who was trying to open the box. "Rubix, that's going to be an outside toy okay? You'll get hurt in here if you use it inside."

"Or break something." Rubix said, as if reminding him.

"Yes, or you'll break something." He said as Rubix moved to show Maggie how to solve the Rubik's cube.

"Thank you everyone." Edward said sitting back in his chair.

"I think Rubix definitely appreciates it," Kristen agreed.

Maggie intently watched Rubix twisting the brightly colored squares, as if he already knew exactly what sequence of turns would solve the puzzle. "How do you know how to do it?" she asked.

"Is easy! It's a pattern!" He said though really there was more to it than that. It was just very easy for him to figure out. He solved it and handed it to her. "You try."

"Well, it's been fun. Thanks for the food Ed. I'm going to head out. All you dorks are starting to cramp my style." Bullock said standing and tossing the hat with the rest of Rubix's toys and stretching his back.

"Well, thank you for coming by and putting up with us for a while," Kristen said with a slight smile. "I'm sure Rubix appreciates it too."

"Yeah!" Rubix said looking up at Harvey. "Thank you Howie!"

"Yeah, well," Harvey shrugged dismissively, taking the little police hat and setting it on Rubix's head, where it fit significantly better. "I was just in the neighborhood."

"Of course you were," Kristen said with a slight smirk. "With Power Wheels."

"Well, you conveniently live above a toy store." Harvey said shaking his head as if that were obvious.

"They don't sell Power Wheels there … Closest place that sells Power Wheels is 6-"

"Ed ….. Just let me leave in peace! Enjoy the present, have fun, all that jazz. I'm out." He said putting his own hat back on and waving sarcastically as he picked up a paper plate with a piece of cake on it.

"Bye Detective." Edward said slightly confused more than anything.

Kristen shook her head as Harvey abruptly showed himself out. "I've never seen anyone go so far out of his way to pretend that he doesn't care."

"It's my understanding he's pretty much always like that," Lee said, glancing over at Jim.

"Pretty much." Jim said. They sat and socialized, getting to know Ben and Marian. It was pretty late when Ed took a tired Rubix downstairs to bed and Ben and Marian went back to their apartment after kissing Rubix good night.

"I'm really glad you were both able to be here," Kristen told Jim and Lee, while Edward was downstairs tucking Rubix in. "It means the world to Edward to try to give Rubix a normal childhood."

"Of course," Lee said, looking over at Maggie, who had fallen asleep on Jim's lap, before meeting Kristen's eyes again. "He's doing a good job, you know. You both are."

Kristen blushed slightly. "Edward is… I'm just muddling along the best I can, trying not to mess things up." She wanted a normal, functional family life for Rubix too… But it wasn't as if she'd grown up with any idea of what that looked like either.

"You're both doing a good job. I'm sure he appreciates that." Lee said. "We should head out though. Maggie is staying at our place for the night, so I think it's time for bed." She said heading over to put her shoes on. When she was done Edward came back upstairs as Lee was taking Maggie for Jim so that he could put his own shoes on.

"You two heading out?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, I think it's time for us to get this kiddo to bed," Jim said, picking up Maggie as he stood up. "Thanks for having us over. Maggie seems like she had fun."

"Thank you both for coming. It's much appreciated." He said smiling at Jim, his hands in his pockets.

Once Jim and Lee had left, Kristen had a seat by the table. "I think that went well," she said.

Edward started to clean up the mess, leaving the kids toys in a pile near the trap door and started collecting the paper dishes to put in the garbage. "Yeah, I think it did too."

Kristen got up again and started helping him clean up. "Maybe we should ask if Maggie and Rubix can play again sometime. They seemed to really get along."

"Yeah, maybe set up a play date." Edward said covering the cake and putting it into the fridge, even though there wasn't much left. "It would be good for him to make a friend."

"That's a good idea," Kristen said, kissing Edward on the cheek.

Edward smiled as he turned towards her, wrapping his arms around him. "Thank you." He said quietly.

"For what?" Kristen asked, looking up at him. It wasn't as if she had really done anything.

"Everything." He said. "I know I've said it before but …. I mean it."

"It's not a big deal," she said, blushing slightly. Sure, they had seen some rough times lately … completely insane times, even. But she didn't feel like she'd done anything remarkable. "I like being with you, remember?"

"I can't fathom why." Edward said smiling slightly before he leaned forward to kiss her.

Kristen leaned up into Edward's kiss, wrapping her arms around him. Did he really not realize how unique he was? Then again, she hadn't really told him how she felt … She hadn't been sure before. But no matter what happened, she still found herself wanting to stay, wanting to be there for him. There was only one explanation.

Edward deepened the kiss as he backed her towards the bed and gently pushing her back until she was laying back on the mattress, her head on the pillow. He allowed his hands to roam over her sides as he moved to kiss her neck.

As she felt his hands move over her, Kristen moaned softly, running her hands over Edward's back. "Edward…" she murmured.

"Hmm?" He moaned against her neck as his hand moved down to her hip, his cock slowly starting to swell in his pants as he moved between her legs.

Kristen moved against him, running her fingers through Edward's hair. "I…" she whispered. "I love you."

Edward froze when she spoke, his entire body stiffening as he thought about what she'd just said. Did he just mishear her? He pulled away from her neck, hovering over her for a moment as he looked down at her. "W-What?" He asked.

"I love you," she repeated softly, feeling her face start to redden as she looked up again. Why was she nervous about it? Edward had already made his own feelings clear some time ago. So why did she still feel this vulnerable about it. "And … I'm sorry I wasn't ready to say it before. I just wanted to be sure."

"I …" Edward found him for once, speechless. "Really?" He asked, briefly wondering if this was some kind of joke, or … Maybe she just wanted to see his reaction. He hadn't been expecting her to say it … At all, let alone now but … She'd said it … And he was terrified she didn't mean it.

"Yes," Kristen reassured him, pained at the actual uncertainty in his voice. Why else would she have said it? If she were willing to throw those words around lightly, she wouldn't have waited this long. "Really."

"I …" He paused his words caught in his throat. He felt stiff with nerves … He knew he should respond but the only response he had … He knew would potentially ruin the mood. "I've never been told that before."

"Edward…" Kristen looked up at him, a little stunned by that. Really? No one had ever… Kristen had at least heard those words a few times insincerely, which was part of why she had been so reluctant to say it before she'd really thought it through. If she was going to say it, she owed it to Edward to be sure that she meant it. But had Edward never expected for her to say it at all? That struck her as terribly sad somehow. She reached a hand up to the side of his face, and kissed him gently. "I mean it," she said firmly. "I love you. I know maybe this feels like it's coming out of nowhere, but I've been thinking it over for awhile now."

Edward couldn't even think straight. She …. She loved him? Edward felt ridiculous as he felt his eyes start to water and he did the only thing he could do. He kissed her.

Kristen's eyes closed as she returned his kiss passionately, her her arms wrapping around him, holding him close against her, trying to convey everything that she felt for him through the action, as if just holding him tight enough would make him understand how sincere she was about this.

Ed kissed his way down her neck. As scared as he was … He believed her … Or at least, he desperately wanted to believe her, so he would. "Thank you." He whispered before kissing lower down her collarbone, his hands slipping under her shirt.

A soft moan escaped her as she felt his hands move over her, and she started undoing the buttons of Edward's shirt.

His hands moved further down to the bottom of her skirt, and he lifted it up until his hands found her panties, just above her hip. He tugged at them slightly before he changed his mind. No, this wouldn't be rushed … Not tonight. He moved his hands back up and started unbuttoning her shirt, leaving kisses on her flesh as it was slowly exposed.

Kristen moved feverishly at his touch, wanting him so badly, loving what he was doing to her. She pulled at his tie, loosening it, as he kissed slowly down her body.

He got her shirt open and pulled her up so that he could remove her shirt and her bra, tossing them both onto the floor before pushing her back onto the bed and removing his tie and his sweater.

Kristen pulled Edward down to her, kissing him again, her hands caressing over his shoulders and down his back. Her skirt was slowly unzipped as his hand pulled it down, his fingers moved under the material before sitting back and moving to down her legs. He pulled it off and threw it onto the floor with the rest of their clothing.

Looking up at Edward, who was still more or less fully clothed, Kristen shook her head. "We have a definite imbalance here," she said, sitting up. She finished undoing the buttons on Edward's shirt and pulled it down over his shoulders, before going for his undershirt. "You always have so many clothes on," she half-scolded. "It's terribly inconvenient."

Ed smiled almost apologetically. "Sorry." He said helping her to remove his undershirt.

Once that had been tossed aside as well, Kristen's hands moved down to undo the front of Edward's pants. "It's alright," she said, smiling up at him. "It wouldn't do for you to catch a cold." And really, it was part of his bookish charm.

"A cold?" Edward asked. "Is that really what you're worried about?" He asked getting off the bed and kicking out of his pants and boxers before climbing back into bed with her.

"Not really," Kristen admitted, putting her arms around him and leaning in to kiss him.

Edward moaned into the kiss as he rubbed himself up against her before leaning down to kiss her. Already he could feel how warm and wet she was against him as his cock throbbed in anticipation.

Moving against him, feeling his enormous cock rubbing against her, Kristen moaned softly, her hands running down Edward's sides and then around to his ass, pulling him in closer against her. She leaned into his kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth.

Edward moaned before it turned into a groan as their glasses clicked together. He broke the kiss and sighed before laughing slightly. He pulled his glasses off and placed them on the bedside table.

Kristen couldn't help giggling when their glasses clicked together. It reminded her of their first kiss. It was kind of comforting to know they could still be dorks together, even after all of the insane things that had happened. She set her glasses aside too, and then lay back on the bed, pulling Edward down on top of her.

Edward looked down on her, laying on top of her, though they were so close that even with his horrid vision he could still see her perfectly. He traced his fingers down the side of her face as he pressed the underside of his cock against her. "I love you." He whispered quietly, gently and slowly rubbing himself against her.

"I love you too," Kristen whispered breathlessly, blushing at the way he looked at her. It was wonderful to say it and to hear it… but right now, she could just as easily feel it in his gentle touch, and see it in his eyes. She hoped he was getting the message from her just as clearly. Her fingertips ran lightly through Edward's hair, and her hips moved up against him in response to his slow deliberate movements.

Edward shifted slightly, angling the tip of his cock at her entrance before his eyes met hers again. "Ready?" He asked quietly.

Kristen nodded, touched by his consideration. "Yes," she murmured, wanting him more than ever.

Edward gently kissed her, his lips moving against hers as he slowly started to press the tip of his shaft inside her.

A quiet moan escaped her, muffled by the kiss, as Edward pressed inside her, and she pushed back against him, her hands running over his back, as her mouth moved against his.

He broke the kiss and looked down at where they were joined together, his hips slowly starting to rock against her, pushing himself deeper.

Moving her hips forward against him in time to his slow rocking, Kristen watched the intense expression on his face for a moment, before she started gently kissing down Edward's neck.

He moaned quietly in his throat, his chest moving against her breasts as he moved his cock inside of her. It was slow and sensual, something they hadn't really done before … Before it was always quick and lust filled passion but this …. This felt different.

Kristen continued kissing softly at Edward's neck, before lightly nipping at his ear. She moved slowly with him, intensely aware of him inside her, moreso even than if he had been thrusting into her hard. She had time to deeply feel every sensation of closeness. Every touch, every movement, seemed as much an emotional sensation as a physical one. She had never felt anything like this before. Not with Edward. Not with anyone.

Edward moaned, in both pleasure and slight frustration. Already he could feel his orgasm starting to build, and he didn't want it to end so soon. "I'm going to come soon." He said wondering if he should pull out, try to make it last longer for her.

"Alright," Kristen whispered, holding Edward tighter. She had wondered how long he would be able to keep going like this. As much as she didn't want this to end, she didn't want to let go either.

Edward tried keeping the slow pace, but the more his orgasm built the farther in he pushed, his hips moving slightly faster against her. He closed his eyes as he willed himself to calm down, to last longer. He braced his weight on one hand and lowered his other between them, his fingers rubbing against her clit.

Moaning as she felt Edward's fingers against her clit, Kristen moved against him, her desire intensifying. "God, Edward," she gasped, her hands running over his back.

Edward's breathing started to quicken the closer he got, and within a few more thrusts he paused. "I can't hold it back anymore .." He said still rubbing his fingers against her clit, his cock still inside her.

"It's … it's okay," Kristen gasped, feeling her own orgasm building as Edward kept rubbing against her clit, his cock still so hard inside her… She looked up at him, confused. Why didn't he just let himself finish? Surely he knew she'd understand. Was he waiting for her? She was completely overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness, that he was still bothering when he was so close… She blushed deeply, a whimper escaping her as his fingers worked over her. "Edward," she gasped, clinging to him, as her pleasure overtook her, her inner walls clenching around him.

Edward groaned loudly as she clenched almost painfully around him. She was already so tight, the sudden pulsing around his shaft caused him to shiver with pleasure before he came hard inside of her. He quietly moaned as he came, his hand moving away from her clit and bracing himself on the mattress as he panted against her ear.

Kristen rocked her hips up against him, letting Edward ride out his orgasm, holding him close and gasping for breath as they came together.

Once Edward calmed down he relaxed against her, laying on top of her as he kissed her just below her ear. "You're amazing."

She shook her head, running a hand through his hair affectionately as she lay there, trying to catch her breath. "No you are," she murmured, her thoughts not entirely coherent. She felt fantastic.

Edward looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "No you are!" He said in a teasing tone.

"Quit making fun of me," she protested, laughing. "It's your fault my brain's not working at full capacity right now anyway."

Edward laughed slightly as he rolled over onto his back beside her. He groaned as his cell phone started buzzing on the bedside table where he'd left it on her side. "No one's home …. Go away."

Kristen chuckled slightly, forcing herself to sit up and look over at the phone. If it was something important… Thinking she recognized the name of Ed's new lawyer, she reached over and picked it up. "Hello?" she said.

"I … Um. Hello. Can I speak to Edward Nygma please?"

Kristen glanced over at Edward, who seemed to want nothing more than to simply lay there and not be bothered. "Is it urgent?" she asked.

"Would I be calling if it wasn't?" The man asked annoyed. "I don't exactly call my clients to socialize …."

"Alright," Kristen said in a pacifying tone. In all fairness, they guy didn't even know who he was talking to. "Hang on, I'll put him on." She turned to Edward, handing him the phone. "It's your lawyer."

"Great … Just what I need, bad news." Ed said taking the phone from her. "Hello."

"Hello Mr. Nygma … I apologize for the late call … I'm calling in regards to your ex wife. I just got the news she's been released from holding, she'll be picking up her son tomorrow morning. I do however, have good news." He said as Edward sat up angrily at the news. They released her?! After those charges they were just going to allow an innocent child back into her hands?!

"We have a court date set up at the end of the month … Three weeks from now." He said giving him the date. Edward scrambled for a piece of paper and looked around for a pen.

Kristen saw Edward scrambling for writing materials while looking distressed. She quickly got up and grabbed a pen from a nearby shelf and handed it to him.

Ed thanked her for the pen and wrote down the time and date. "You'll be expected to be there an hour early. You have a pretty good case for you, but the courts tend to lean towards the mother. It would be easier if you were to site having a functional family … You have a home, a steady income, but your job is new so they may take that into consideration …. If you were to have someone, say, adopt him alongside of your custody of him … It may strengthen your case. Do you have a girlfriend or-"

"I'm not bringing her into this." Edward said, "we'll have to build a case on what we have."

"But-"

"No." Edward said firmly before he could say anything further.

"Alright well … At least think about it. Maybe talk to her about it."

"Was there anything else?" Edward asked.

"No Mr. Nygma …. Have a good-" His voice was cut off as Edward flung his cell to the end of the bed and he flopped back on his pillow, rubbing his hands over his face with a groan.

"What is it?" Kristen asked, sitting down on the side of the bed and laying a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him in concern.

"Brittany was released tonight …. She's coming to pick up Rubix tomorrow morning." He said lowering his hands and looking up at her. And today has been going so well. "He's going to blame me you know … When I let him go back there."

Kristen's eyes widened. She shook her head. "No…" She murmured, thinking about the innocent little boy downstairs, how happy he'd been that afternoon with all of his presents … and how scared he'd looked last time Brittany had come to collect him. She seemed angry enough on a normal day. After she'd been arrested… They couldn't let Rubix go back into that environment. Not even for the smallest fraction of time. "He won't blame you," she whispered, taking Edward's hand in hers. "He may not understand what's going on, but… he knows you care about him." She felt her throat tighten at the idea of letting him go back there. "Isn't there anything we can do?" she asked.

"Legally no." He said. "We have a court date set for three weeks from now but-" Edward paused. Legally no, they couldn't do anything …. But … What if she never came to get Rubix … What if she never showed up for court.

"But?" Kristen repeated, more than a little anxiously. She couldn't exactly define it, but she had sensed something ominous in Edward's voice.

"What if she doesn't show up to court?" Ed asked looking up at her. "What if she doesn't show up here at all?"

"Edward," Kristen said in a warning voice, her expression darkening. "If you're saying what I think you are… We're not going to go there."

"Would you rather me lose custody entirely? If she doesn't show up then custody goes to me by default … If no one shows up tomorrow …. Then he can stay here." Edward said trying to reason with her. It made sense … Or it would if all signs didn't point back at him.

"And what happens when all signs point to you?" Kristen demanded. "What happens when you're the first person investigated, because no one has more motive than you do? What happens to Rubix then? Is that really what you want?" Not to mention when someone had to explain it to Rubix after Edward inevitably got arrested. She shook her head. "I'm scared for Rubix too, and I want to protect him, believe me, but … but this? This won't help him. No matter what the stakes, we're not going to just go off and kill your ex."

"Well … One could dream right?" He asked flopping back down on his pillow again. He sighed before getting up and pulling a pair of Pajama pants out of his drawer.

Kristen shook her head, and sighed as she got up and went over to the overnight bag she'd brought and pulled out pajamas as well. She felt suddenly cold for some reason. "What was your lawyer talking about earlier?" she asked. "That you didn't want to get me involved in?" There was really only one 'her' he could have been referring to who wasn't already involved.

"It was nothing." Edward lied, putting his pajamas on. "Just a dumb idea."

"What dumb idea?" Kristen said, getting dressed. "In case you hadn't noticed, we're desperate enough to discuss homicide. I'd like to know what other options there are."

"It doesn't matter. I wouldn't allow you to do it even if you said yes." He said pulling his shirt on and tucking it in.

"Then what's the harm in telling me?" Kristen countered.

Edward sighed. "He said I have a pretty good case, but little to go on …. I have a home, and a full time job but it's a new job and I have no prior job experience so they'll take that into consideration. But he said it may be easier getting custody if I were to have a functional family … If I were to have someone adopt him along side my custody. It would strengthen my side of the custody battle."

"And … you don't want me to?" Kristen said quietly, pausing what she was doing and looking over at him. It was a lot to trust someone else with, she understood that. But she wanted to help.

"I'd love for you too. But it's a very large commitment … Another fifteen years minimum …. And I don't want you to commit yourself to me because of this …. If you did commit yourself to me I would want it to be because I asked you to marry me, not because of a custody battle you got thrown into the middle of." He said honestly.

"Edward…" Kristen stared back at him. This was all so complicated. "I realize it's a commitment." And a more sudden one than she'd ever intended. Between her past mistakes and his, it had seemed best to try to take things as slowly and cautiously as they could. "But … I don't feel like I've been thrown in the middle of this. I care about Rubix, and I want to get him out of there and into a home where he's safe. And if there's some way I can help, I don't want to just sit back and do nothing."

"And what happens if you leave me … Maybe you don't want to now but a year? Two? Five? What then? You fall in love with this kid and suddenly I'm back in a custody battle?" He asked. "Especially with this path I'm going down … You'd probably win if I was ever caught." He said, knowing that addiction, that compulsion was still in him.

Kristen shook her head. "I wouldn't do that to you, or to Rubix. You've had nothing but Rubix's best interests at heart this whole time. I can't see you ever hurting him … and that's the only circumstance where I would consider putting him through that." She wouldn't pretend that the possibility didn't exist at all, or that Edward's dark side didn't scare her. "I love you, and … I want to believe that we can make this relationship work indefinitely." Though she had to admit, her track record wasn't promising. She looked him steadily in the eyes. "But … Even if things fell apart between us, you could never make me angry enough to tear a child's family apart for no reason. I think … even in the worst case scenario, we could talk about it like adults and do what's best for Rubix."

"It's still a very serious commitment and not something I want you jumping into. It's three weeks until the trial date, at least think it through before you agree … Maybe talk to Lee, get an outside opinion or something." He said with a shrug.

"Alright," Kristen said quietly. That was good advice. She had to question how deeply she was getting involved. She could always count on Lee to be the voice of reason. "But … How do you feel about this?"

Edward sighed and remained silent for a moment before he spoke. "I'm scared to be honest. I want to trust you but I've heard things like that in the past and they never end well … We've only been dating for a few months and the first few months are generally when it's great …. We're in that period of normality … If that's what you want to call it …. But I can't help fear that things are going to turn ugly as my past relationships have … And Rubix is going to be stuck in the middle of it no matter what I do."

"I understand," Kristen said quietly. She glanced down at the floor. "If … If it makes you feel any better, I don't just care about Rubix because of you. I mean … That's part of it, but … He deserves to grow up with a functional family that loves and protects him." Even if Kristen didn't exactly know what a functional family really looked like. "And that's not going to change, just because things start to go bad between us."

Ed sighed again and took her hand in his. "We're going to make this work then. And I still think you should talk to Lee before you decide." He said.

"Right," Kristen agreed. She looked up at him. "I'm not trying to make a decision this important lightly," she promised. "I just… I want to help," she said quietly.

"I know … Just … Think about it before you decide." He said standing up from the bed. "I'm going to bring him upstairs, let him sleep with us tonight." He said flipping the blanket down to check the sheet to see if they had made any kind of a mess, luckily they hadn't.

"Okay," Kristen agreed, understanding. "It's … It's going to be alright," she said gently. "You have a job, and she has a recent arrest record now. You'll get custody." But if she could help his chances at all, she had to consider it. It was bad enough letting Rubix go back to an abusive home for even a couple of weeks … She couldn't risk letting Edward lose him permanently.

Edward came upstairs a few moments later with a very sleepy Rubix on his shoulder. He put him down in the middle of the bed and he squirmed around looking up at Ed tiredly.

"Mama coming to get me amorrow?" He asked tiredly.

"Yes." He said quietly as Rubix rolled over tiredly.

"I think I'd like if Kisten was my mommy asted." He said in a tired matter of fact tone, before he drifted back to sleep.

Kristen looked down at Rubix sadly. When he put it like that, it sounded so simple. Why couldn't she be? But it was also a really daunting idea. She didn't know how to be a mom. And the only example she'd grown up with was what not to do. "Yeah," she said quietly, not loud enough to wake him. She didn't want to get his hopes up until she had decided for sure. "That would be nice."


	30. Chapter 30

Edward sighed in frustration as he came in the apartment door. It had been three days since Brittany came to get a screaming Rubix, and his job had been getting increasingly more stressful.

He tossed his bag onto the floor and pulled his tie off and flung it onto the bed before his shirt joined shortly after leaving him in his under shirt. He had no patience for clothing right now …

He could hear Kristen downstairs flicking through channels, and he remembered briefly he hadn't texted her back this morning with his Netflix password.

He went downstairs and saw her laying on the couch hugging a pillow and flicking through channels.

"Hey." He said, observing just how sexy she was in his pajamas. He was already imagining pulling them off of her and could feel himself swelling at the image of her naked beneath him.

"Hi, Ed," she said, smiling up at him tiredly. Work today had been rough, and she'd felt downright miserable all day. She sat up, wincing slightly. Her cramps this month were nothing short of merciless. And now Edward was down here in his undershirt … The timing was completely unfair. "How was your day?"

Ed didn't notice the wince as he moved closer to the couch. "Miserable." He said kneeling down on the couch next to her and pushing her back onto the couch, his mouth meeting hers. "But I'm sure you can change that." He said before kissing her again, his cock now straining against his pants as he pressed it against her.

Kristen stiffened as she felt Edward's hardened cock press against her through the fabric of his pants. Damn it, it wasn't fair. She felt so embarrassed, and guilty that she was about to have to disappoint him… But it couldn't be helped. The direction this was headed was clear, and she was going to have to say something soon. "Edward …" she said, breaking the kiss reluctantly and put a hand on his chest, pushing him back slightly. "It's … um …" she glanced away, wishing she didn't feel so embarrassed about it. It was normal. Surely, on an intellectual level, Edward had to know this happened on a monthly basis. "I'm on my period," she said quietly.

"So?" Edward asked, leaning in and kissing her again, using his hand to move hers out of the way. He wanted her, and a little blood never bothered him. It was natural after all, and from what he'd heard, would feel amazing for her.

Kristen's eyes widened. That … was really not the response she'd expected. She supposed objectively there was no reason he should be repulsed by it, but … In her experience, men were always disgusted by the mere concept. Her exes tended to either make an excuse to leave or deem it acceptable to demand oral. This … she really didn't know how to respond to. But tonight, she just was tired and she hurt everywhere and she just wasn't up to trying this. "Edward," she said more firmly, pushing him back again. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel well, and I just really don't think I can do this tonight." It occurred to her that, the whole time they'd been dating, she'd never told him 'no' like this before. She looked up at him, hoping he wouldn't be angry. Experience insisted that he would be, but … No. This was Edward. He was different.

Edward sighed as he sat back and ran his hand over his mouth, feeling slightly frustrated. "Okay." He said calmly before getting off the couch and going back upstairs.

"I'm sorry," Kristen repeated miserably as Edward abruptly walked away from her. If he was angry, he wasn't taking it out on her, and it hadn't shown in his expression … But he didn't seem to want to be around her if she wasn't in the mood either … She clutched the pillow to her abdomen again, feeling distinctly abandoned. Maybe it was too much to expect a man to understand. She felt like an idiot for coming here.

As Edward neared the top of the stairs, an apparition of his other self loomed just outside the open trap door in a dark tailored suit, his arms crossed in disapproval. "Why do you always walk away from what you really want?" the Other Ed asked, an impatient edge in his voice. "She's already yours. Go back down there and take what you want. We both know you're not scared of a little blood."

Edward ignored it as he headed towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the closed lid of the toilet and opened his pants, grasping his hard cock in his hand and started to stroke it.

"Really?" Other Ed demanded, disgusted, leaning against the sink and shaking his head. "We're back to this? How can you be so pathetic? You're missing the entire point of having a girlfriend. You've had a hard day, dealing with those morons on the phone, and now you're jacking off in the bathroom while she's lounging around on your couch! She wouldn't be here if she didn't want you. Just go downstairs and fuck her!"

"Leave me alone." Edward groaned as he sped up his hand trying to block the image and the voice from his head. He knew it wasn't him thinking these things, he would never do that to her. He focused on the thought of the other night … When she'd been in his bed, his cock moving inside of her.

"You're thinking about her now," the Other Ed pointed out, refusing to leave. "Don't pretend you're not. You know you want to go down to her, that it would feel so much better …"

"Shut up." Edward whispered as he stood up, pulling up the toilet lid, and braced his hand on the wall, aiming his cock down at the toilet bowl as he tugged on himself. He kept his eyes closed, and tried to change what he was thinking about, anything to get the damn hallucination to shut up. He tried picturing Deidre but he honestly couldn't remember enough of the night to even remember what she looked like naked, let alone anything else they did so his mind wandered back to Kristen. Picturing her kneeling in front of him, his cock aimed at her naked breasts.

"She likes it when you're forceful, remember?" the Other Ed said, aggression creeping into his voice, which suddenly sounded like it was coming from just over Edward's shoulder. "And she didn't come here to watch TV alone! She's probably wondering where you are right now, why you walked away from her, if you even want her anymore … Go show her. She'll be all over you."

Edward ignored it, tried tuning out the voice as he felt his orgasm starting to build, but he knew it was more forced than from actually wanting to. He wished that damn voice would at least shut up so he could enjoy this.

"What's the matter?" The Other Ed demanded, his voice mocking, irritable. "Are you frustrated? Then be a man and go do something about it!"

Ed kept silent as he felt right on the edge of coming. He ignored the voice as he imagined Kristen licking the tip of his cock, his hand moving faster over his shaft before he groaned, coming into the toilet. When he opened his eyes he looked around and saw he was once again alone. He sighed as he did his pants up again and flushed the toilet, washing his hands he headed into the kitchen.

He made two mugs of hot chocolate, and headed back downstairs. "Hey." He said pausing as he saw her eyes were red and watering. "What- …. Are you okay?" He asked confused as he approached her with a mug of hot chocolate, placing them both on the table, one in front of her.

Kristen quickly dried her eyes, and looked up at him. "It's … it's nothing," she said dismissively, embarrassed that he'd caught her reacting this way. An overreaction, it turned out, since he was back. He wasn't avoiding her just because ... She saw the mugs of hot chocolate, and realized why he'd left. "Thank you," she said, picking up the mug he'd set down in front of her. "You didn't have to …. This was really thoughtful of you."

"Kristen … Don't lie to me." He said softly, his fingers playing with her hair. "Why were you crying?" He asked, feeling a bit guilty that he'd been upstairs jerking off in his bathroom while his girlfriend was downstairs crying.

"It's silly, really," Kristen said, feeling like she'd jumped to conclusions. She sighed, before looking back over at him. "It's just … When I said no, and you walked away, I didn't know you just went to get this," she said, glancing down at the hot chocolate … which still struck her as an incredibly sweet and touching gesture. "So I thought … that maybe you … didn't want to be around me when I wasn't putting out," she said quietly. She shook her head. "I should have known better than that. I'm sorry."

Edward was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "I have to admit, when you pushed me away I was a little frustrated, but if you don't want to, for whatever reason I'm not going to make you, or try to pressure you into it. To be frank I didn't want to sit here with a raging hard on, it would have made you feel weird, so I took care of it, and then made hot chocolate." He said before he added. "I washed my hands don't worry." He said with a laugh.

Kristen burst out laughing at that. "Thank you for understanding," she said seriously, hugging him. "That means a lot to me." She took a sip of the hot chocolate, which was in a fancy glass mug and topped with whipped cream and chocolate flakes, and her eyes lit up. "You made this from scratch, didn't you." The taste was far too rich to have come from any pre-packaged powder.

"If you want to call that scratch sure. I used cocoa powder …. Next time I get actual chocolate I'll make you some real hot chocolate." He said licking some whipped cream off the top of his own mug. "Do you want to just watch Netflix and cuddle tonight?" He asked. "Or I can leave you alone if you want …." He said not sure what she'd prefer. Brittany had always hated being touched or even remotely in his vicinity during her time of the month and he hadn't been around Kristen during hers before, so he didn't really know what she wanted.

"I would really like that," Kristen said, curling up close next to him, trying not to tear up again out of sheer gratitude. He still wanted to spend time with her, even knowing nothing was going to happen … She wondered if he had any idea what that meant to her.

Ed laid down on the couch behind her, thankful he had a rather deep couch, they both fit on it comfortably. He picked up the controller and entered the password for his Netflix account. "I'm sorry I didn't text you back this morning. It was hell at work today." He said giving her the controller so that she could pick the movie.

"Don't worry about it," Kristen said, scrolling through the available movies. "An excess of moronic customers, I take it?" she asked.

"My boss is also being an ass hole. He's having every single one of my calls monitored and they're nitpicking every single thing because I'm 15% over the next top selling rep." He said annoyed. "He's punishing me for being a good salesman … You'd think he'd like making money. But nope …. Three things they called me in today, I know it's something everyone does but he's singling me out and killing my sales to try to cut my commission."

Kristen frowned. "It sounds to me like he's making excuses not to have to pay your commission," she said, picking a movie and settling back against him.

"Keep wiggling you're going to get me going again." Ed said shaking his head and kissing the back of her head, his hand moving down and rubbing her stomach gently.

"Sorry," Kristen said, relaxing as Edward rubbed her stomach. "Why are you so wonderful?" she asked.

"Considering how much I'm actually thinking about doing naughty things to you right now …. I'd hardly consider myself wonderful. But I'm glad you think so." He said with a slightly laugh.

"If I felt better, I'd take you up on that," she said, just laying against him, feeling significantly better just having him near her. "I love you," she murmured, realizing she was really tired for some reason.

"I love you to." He said kissing her head again, his hand still moving over her stomach.


	31. Chapter 31

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""WAKE UP!" Ed gasped as he shot awake, looking around the dark basement and noticed that the tv and lights had turned off from the timer. The clock on the entertainment unit said 2:38 AM …. They must have fallen asleep watching movies./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen was still fast asleep on the couch beside him. All was eerily quiet in the dark basement, with no movement save for Kristen's gentle breathing next to him, and no hint of where the shouting had come from./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Have you even noticed," said a voice from behind the couch. "How unbearably boring you're getting?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Go away. I'm trying to sleep." Ed whispered so that he wouldn't wake up Kristen./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""See?" The Other Ed scoffed, moving to impossibly sit on the arm of the couch, looking down at him and Kristen. "Boring."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward ignored him as he closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Maybe if he ignored it it would go away./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When he looked up at the time again it was 3:21 …. Almost an hour now that voice had been taunting him, goading him, making fun of him … Trying to get him to react, start yelling when he didn't …./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"3:25 Edward sat up and carefully crawled over Kristen and climbed up the stairs to the main floor. This was insane … He felt like he was losing his mind. His entire body felt numb and his chest hurt, but the hallucination didn't relent. It followed him through the apartment and into the bathroom./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Why are you doing this to me?" He asked his own reflection as the hallucination disappeared and seemed to form in his own reflection./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The reflection grinned. "For your own good," it told him. "You know you're better than this, day in, day out, listening to that inferior idiot you call a boss and your moronic customers … At least at GCPD you had some mental stimulation, and you were close to the action, even if no one really appreciated you … And now look at you. When are you going to live?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I have to work this job … I need to get my son back." He said staring down at the sink, his hands gripping the white porcelain./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Then go and get your son back!" The Other Ed countered. "You already had a perfectly good plan for how to do it! But you let dear, precious Kristen talk you out of it!" He shook his head. "You already know how easy it would be."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I can't do that …" Edward said closing his eyes. The voice sounded like it was getting louder, no longer coming from the mirror but came from straight inside his head. "Stop it." He said, his breathing starting to quicken, his body shaking slightly as he tried to calm down. He was scared, and he couldn't stop that damn voice …./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You're weak!" The other Ed said, his voice getting louder and louder, starting to distort like a broken cassette player. Edward looked up at his reflection and jumped when he saw his father standing there. "You're weak, and stupid! You'll never amount to anything. You're nothing but a retard!" Edward felt like his mind had snapped, he lashed out his fist slamming against the mirror cracking it before he hit it again and it shattered, his hand bleeding./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The glass came flying at him and he fell back against the tub sitting on the floor, "SHUT UP!" He screamed, grabbing a piece of the mirror in his hand, not caring that it was cutting his palm./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The vision of his father appeared again, with no mirror to hide in, it seemed all too real. "You let her control you! You let her use you! Do you think she'd ever actually be with you if she didn't want something?" The vision of his father crouched down next to him, his face so close Edward could swear he could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. "You think she loves you?" He asked as Edward covered his head with his hands, the shard from the mirror cutting his ear but he didn't seem to care. Tears streamed down his cheeks. She did love him! She does! She said! She wouldn't lie to him!/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""She is a woman, of course she's lying to you!" His father said. "She's a lying whore just like your mother was!" He said making Edward shrink back against the tub, his hand clutching the piece of mirror harder, his entire body shaking as he clenched his eyes shut even harder than he had been, his breathing so quick he was almost hyperventilating./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Awakening to the sound of breaking glass, and shouting, Kristen scrambled off of the couch and bolted up the stairs. She approached the open bathroom door anxiously, seeing broken glass scattered across the tiled floor. She was alarmed to find Edward huddled against the bathtub, clearly distressed, his hand and ear bleeding. Was he having another episode? If so, she had never seen him this bad. "Edward?" She said tentatively, reaching out and gently touching his shoulder./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward jumped as he was touched, his father's hand grabbing his shoulder and he lashed out with the shard in his hand, cutting his father's arm as he stood up to defend himself but when he looked at his father …. It wasn't him. It was Kristen …. He looked at her, his eyes wide with fear as he saw the blood on her arm and he dropped the mirror, not even noticing that the voices had stopped. "I-I-I-" He stuttered as he backed up, tripping over the edge of the tub and falling in, banging his head on the wall. He sat in the tub, his legs hanging over the edge looking at the cut that he'd caused …. He'd attacked her …./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She stared at him, stunned, wide-eyed and shaking, as he backed away stammering. She was still terrified, blood dripping from the stinging cut, but she didn't think it was deep. Right now, she was more worried about Edward, who was clearly confused and horrified. "Edward …" she gasped as he fell back and hit his head. Trying not to make any sudden movements this time, she knelt next to him. "Are you … It's-it's okay," she stammered, making firm eye contact, though she was still trembling. "It's alright … Are you okay?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward didn't say anything as his eye started to water. He pulled his legs into the tub and moved away from her. "I'm sorry." He said shaking so badly his muscles started to hurt./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh Edward," Kristen whispered. It was painful to see him like this. "It's not your fault … I'm okay, see? It's not very deep … I shouldn't have startled you like that." Tentatively, she laid a hand on his knee. "Is … Can you still hear him? Or … or see anything?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward looked away from her, staring at the wall as tears continued to fall down his cheeks. He was ashamed of himself, of … Whatever this was … He'd hurt her …. In a sense that didn't make him any better than his father and that thought made his chest hurt even more. What if it had been Rubix that had come in? What if the wound had been more than a scratch?/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Edward," Kristen said gently, wishing her voice wasn't shaking, wishing the rest of her wasn't shaking. At least one of them needed to be able to hold it together. "I know what you're thinking, okay? But it's going to be alright. We'll … We'll figure something out to keep this from happening again, but right now, your ear is still bleeding, and your hand and … I need to take a look and see if you're okay. Will you let me do that, please?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Go away." He said quietly, his voice cracking as he spoke. He closed his eyes and kept his face away from her. He couldn't believe it. He knew none of it had been real, and he'd still lashed out …. He knew she was in the apartment, but he still reacted …. He knew she'd come when she heard the mirror smash and he still did it …. He couldn't be more disgusted with himself than he was right now./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""No," Kristen said firmly. "I won't. I'm staying right here with you." This hadn't been his fault … If it had been, they would be having an entirely different conversation. And she wasn't going to let him sit here thinking that it was./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward didn't say anything again. He just wished she'd go away …. He wished he could just sink into the floor and disappear. Is this what he should feel when he hurt others? He didn't find that he did but … Hurting Kristen …. He couldn't forgive himself for that./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"She watched him for a moment, sitting there refusing to look at her, shaking and crying, the guilt tearing him apart. She wasn't sure how to help … She felt like she was completely out of her depth here. She decided to focus, for now, on the part that she could actually fix. She went to the cabinet and got out the first aid kit, before climbing into the bathtub with him, and gently taking his hand to try to clean the cut. She wasn't afraid of him now. He seemed to know now where he was, that she was there with him, and that no one else was. If she was in this for the long haul, though, and she was in too deep now not to be, she would have to come up with some kind of procedure for approaching him when he was like this./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward tried to pull his hand away from her but paused. He couldn't understand why she wasn't leaving. Wasn't she afraid of him? He …. He hurt her. "Why are you doing this?" He asked./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Only once she was done cleaning the cut on his hand did she look up at him. "I love you, remember? So … So if you think I'm going to just walk off and abandon you because of something that's beyond your control, then you've got another thing coming."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You're scared … I know you are …" He said looking at her and trying to calm his breathing. "You shouldn't be with me …" He said starting to shake harder despite having almost calmed./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen set about cleaning the cut on his ear … which thankfully wasn't as bad as it had looked at first, before she wrapped her arms around him firmly and just held him. "It's not your fault," she insisted. "Trust me, I can tell the difference."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I still hurt you …. I shouldn't have …." He said though he wrapped his arms around her, laying in the tub as he clung onto her. As guilty as he felt, he was scared …/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Well," Kristen said, running her fingers gently through his hair as she held him. "Now I know not to approach you so suddenly when you're … when you're like that. I just heard breaking glass and you yelling and I came running … I didn't think about startling you when you were in that state … We can avoid that in the future. It's going to be okay."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward shook his head. "What if it gets worse …. What if it was Rubix that walked in?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"A shiver ran down Kristen's spine, and she hoped that Edward didn't notice. "We …" she hesitated, thinking it over. There had to be a solution, one that didn't involve just leaving Rubix where he was. "We can teach him to stay away when you're dealing with this … We can teach him to know what to look out for, and to come get me, and not to just blunder in like I did."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, that's a great way for a three year old to live." He said sarcastically as he sat up. "How's that conversation going to go? 'Hey Rubix, daddy hears voices you can't so when you see him going crazy stay away from him he might stab you!'" He said bitterly, more frustrated with himself than anything. He buried his face in his hands and groaned./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's better than the situation he's in now," Kristen pointed out, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We can figure out … I don't know … strategies that work to deal with this, and we'll work through it together. It's going to be okay." She frowned, then said. "But first we should get out of the tub. I don't think sitting here is helping anything."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward sighed as he shakily stood up. He looked down at the pieces of broken mirror. It was all around the sink and the floor near the wall. It hadn't blown out at him like he'd thought … And there was a lot less blood everywhere then he remembered seeing./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen got up after him, wincing slightly, before she remembered she should probably clean the cut on her own arm too. She started cleaning off the blood. They were going to need to clean up this broken glass too./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward picked up a clean cloth from the cabinet and ran it under the water. He lead her to sit in the closed toilet seat and sat on the floor in front of her. "I'm sorry." He said again, carefully cleaning the blood off of her arm with the warm cloth./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's alright," Kristen said, shaking her head. She looked over at him. "It's not your fault," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "You know that, right?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It is my fault." He said firmly. "I knew you were here and I knew it wasn't real and I lashed out anyway." He said. "It's never touched me physically before, I should have known it was you."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""You were distraught, you weren't able to think," Kristen insisted. "When I walked in here, you … You were clearly already terrified. Someone touched you without warning, and you acted on instinct. You can't reasonably blame yourself for that."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward remained silent as he wrapped her arm with gauze and threw the remaining back into the first aid kit./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen fell into the same silence for awhile, not knowing what to say. Edward was going to blame himself no matter what she did … What if he insisted that she leave? What if he gave up on Rubix? She thought they could avoid any dangerous situations, but … Right now, Edward didn't seem to trust himself. "Are you …" she was quiet for a moment, trying to piece together the right words. "Are you okay? I don't think … It's never been that bad before."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I'm fine." He said quietly as he put the first aid kit away, though it didn't sound too convincing. He'd take care of the broken mirror tomorrow. Maybe now that the voices finally stopped …. Maybe he could get some sleep. He hated that Kristen was the one that had to pay the price for that clarity though … "We both need to work in the morning … We should get some sleep." He said moving out of the bathroom, feeling like a coward as he was unable to look at her./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We should," Kristen agreed quietly, following after him. She couldn't bear the way he avoided her eyes. She wrapped an arm around him as they walked. He had held her earlier when she felt miserable … She could do the same. "How long do you think it lasted? Before I walked in, I mean." Though he might not have had a very accurate grip on the passage of time./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ed glanced at the clock on the table. "It woke me up about an hour and a half ago." He said crawling into bed on her side and moving over this his. "Literally screamed at me to wake up."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen winced. That sounded disorienting and terrifying as hell. "Do you think, maybe," she suggested tentatively. "If it's starting up again, you could let me know? Before it has a chance to get really bad? That way, I'll know not to startle you?" And maybe, just maybe, with the right approach, she could do something to help. She wasn't sure how, but … Possibly she could talk him through it. It seemed like a scary thing to deal with alone. She crawled into bed next to him, and cuddled up close to him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""There isn't anything you can do about it either way. It's happened a few times when you're here but not often. Usually I can ignore it but this time …." He paused./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen looked up at him. "This time was different?" she asked quietly. And, wondering if she was prying too much, asked: "How?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It was …. It's usually like I'm talking to someone else in the room …. No different than me talking to you right now. But … This time it was like it was coming from inside my head …. Like the more I tried to block it out the louder it got … And he's never changed in appearance or voice before - it's always me but …. This time it …. It changed. It wasn't me I was talking to. The way he talked, and what he was saying was still the same but … The appearance and the voice changed …."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"That was a frightening idea. If his hallucinations weren't consistent anymore, wouldn't it just be that much harder to ground himself in the certainty of what was real? "What … Who did it change into?" Kristen asked uneasily. Whatever it was, it clearly had Edward shaken./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward was silent a moment. "My …. My father." He said quietly. "He said the same stuff he used to when I was little … That I'm stupid … Retarded …. But …. He added some new things …. Things that other hallucination would have said …. Has said …" He said his voice barely above a whisper as if he wasn't even aware he was talking./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"In an instinctive reaction, Kristen held Edward tighter, as if she could somehow block out the memory or absorb the pain. "What … what kind of things?" she whispered, then quickly added, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She didn't know which was worse for him, talking about it or not talking about it./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""He um … He's trying to make me doubt this … Us …." He said nervously. "Tries to convince me that you're lying to me … That you couldn't possibly love me, that you're just using me …." He said his eyes starting to water again./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen leaned in and kissed him gently, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "But …" she whispered, her throat tight with emotion. "You know that's not true, right? You know I love you … Don't you?" Admittedly, she had her own insecurities, and it only made sense that he would have them too … But she really hoped he at least trusted that she loved him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I ….." Edward said his voice breaking again. "I don't know …" He said shakily. "I want to believe it but …." His mouth moved as if he was trying to form his next sentence but nothing came out./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""But you've been hurt before?" Kristen said quietly. That was something she understood, at least, in the midst of all this madness. She didn't blame him for being reluctant to trust. She had tried to be cautious herself early on. But that had fallen by the wayside somehow./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I've been lied to before." Edward corrected, though, yes, her assumption was correct as well. "I've never had anyone I could trust." He said turning towards her and pulling her to him. "I'm sorry …. I'm trying."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen held Edward tight, kissing him gently. "It's okay," she said quietly. "That's not going to happen all at once, but … I don't plan on going anywhere, so we have time."/p 


	32. Chapter 32

Edward glanced at the clock as he removed his undershirt, tossing it into the laundry hamper. Jim and Lee should be here soon, they had invited them over for dinner and it was ready and made on the table.

He pulled out a clean undershirt and dress shirt to go over top when he heard a banging on the door. That wouldn't be them, he knew they would never knock like that.

Kristen flinched at the loud and insistent banging at the door. She glanced over at Edward anxiously. "That doesn't sound like them … Are we expecting anyone else?"

"No." Edward started to say before a very familiar voice came from the other side of the door.

"EDWARD YOU BETTER OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR!" Brittany said kicking the door. Edward moved to the door and slid it open.

No sooner had he opened the door than a slap hit him hard in the face. "Took you damn long enough!" Brittany fumed, looking livid, her other hand gripping Rubix's wrist, dragging him forward sharply. Rubix was sobbing, tears running down his face. "You tricked me into taking him!" she shouted. "You made a big fucking deal about the brat, sent your fucking cop friends and got me arrested, so that I'd get mad and come take him off your hands! But all the ungrateful little shit does is whine and cry all the time!" She shoved Rubix forward so hard that he fell face first onto the floor. "Also my boyfriend doesn't want kids so …. You can have the thing back!" She said as her new boyfriend stood leaning in the doorway. Rubix sat up crying as Ed picked him up.

"What the hell is wrong with you? He's just a kid!" He said angrily, though he did not raise his voice.

"Yeah," Brittany's boyfriend said nonchalantly, looking kind of bored. "Your kid. Your problem."

Kristen rushed forward and gathered Rubix out of Edward's arms, wanting to get him away from all of the yelling. As she did, she noticed that he had a black eye. She shot Brittany a furious glare, before walking away with him, quietly reassuring the crying child that it was okay, that everything was alright.

Ed noticed the bruise on his face as Brittany and her new boyfriend were already leaving. Fury came over him as he ran after them, not caring that all he had on was his pants and socks, and was outside before he caught up with them.

Ed didn't give either of them time to react, he swung first, and punched the guy straight in the face. Unfortunately he didn't hit very hard and all the man did was laugh.

Alarmed at the way Edward had ran out after them, Kristen quickly took Rubix to Ben and Marian's place, rapidly explaining what was happening before running outside after him, just in time to see the other man punch Edward hard in the stomach.

Edward doubled over and landed on the ground a moment before he got up again. "I know it was you that did that! How dare you hit my child!" He said swinging again but the man ducked out of the way easy and punched Edward in the face hard enough to knock him down onto the sidewalk, his glasses clattering onto the ground.

"Stop it!" Kristen yelled, running forward to try to help Edward up. She could think of numerous ways for this to end badly. "These people aren't worth it," she insisted, though she was furious with them as well. "We've got Rubix, let's just go inside."

"What's all this?" Jim said, approaching the scene, though his expression was grim enough that he seemed to have a pretty good idea what was going on. Lee looked just as quietly irate.

"This ass hole just came flying out of this apartment building and attacked me." The guy said pointing at Edward who was sitting shirtless on the ground.

"Yeah? Somehow I doubt that." Jim said as the man stood up straighter, already much taller than Jim.

"And who the hell are you little man?" He asked trying to sound intimidating. Jim looked bored as he pulled out his badge.

"GCPD, would you like to continue this discussion down at the precinct?" Jim asked before putting his badge away.

"Come on Kyle. It's not worth it." Brittany said taking his arm.

Ed still looked murderous as he stood up. "I don't care if there's a cop standing here, you touch my kid again and I will kill you." He said looking frighteningly dangerous, enough so that despite just having beaten him up Kyle backed up a bit.

Jim's eyebrows raised slightly at the uncharacteristic ferocity in Edward's manner. Not that he blamed the guy, but he had never seen quiet, awkward Edward this way. "I don't think he'll make that necessary," Jim said, a hardness in his voice that was directed more at Kyle.

Lee didn't look so surprised at Edward's aggression. She'd seen otherwise passive-seeming people react to the natural instinct to protect a child, especially their own, at any cost. And Kristen looked like it was taking all her self control not to jump in and join him. She went over and put a hand on Kristen's shoulder. "Where's Rubix?" She asked gently.

"With Marian and Ben," Kristen said shortly, her voice shaking with barely suppressed rage. "He didn't need to see this. He's been through enough."

"Kyle come on!" Brittany said already walking away, her hips swaying in her skanky black dress. "Let's leave this loser." She said as Kyle sneered at Ed and followed behind her. Edward sighed as he leaned back against the building, trying to calm down.

"Sorry." Edward muttered, picking up his glasses and putting them back on.

"Don't apologize for that," Kristen said quietly. "Let's just try to hold on to Rubix until the court date." She didn't want Brittany or Kyle anywhere near Rubix, or Edward, or the home they were trying to make together ever again. They had enough problems already.

"Are you both alright?" Lee asked, concerned.

"Yes." Edward said moving away from the wall, and using his hand to wipe the blood away from his nose. He turned to Kristen. "Can you get Rubix? I need to clean up and uh …. Put some clothes on." He said his face turning red with embarrassment as he attempted to hide the scars on his chest with his arm, despite the fact that he knew both Jim and Lee had seen them. "Um …. Why don't you go ahead … I'll uh …. Be up in a second." He said clearing his throat, he didn't want them to see the one on his back.

"Ed, you should go up and get cleaned up. We'll follow you up." Jim said, concerned that Ed was more injured than he let on.

"Jim. Let's go ahead." Lee said noting Ed's discomfort. He obviously didn't want them seeing the scars they already saw, it was clear he had more on his back he didn't want them to see.

"But-"

"Now. Move it Mr." Lee said taking command and pointing him towards the apartment.

Realizing what was bothering Edward, Kristen casually put a hand on his shoulder blade, covering up the scar where that hateful word had been carved into him. She kept her hand there until Lee and Jim had passed them.

Edward looked at Kristen thankful for her understanding before they headed upstairs. By the time they all got in Edward was fully dressed.

Once Edward's scar was safely under wraps, Kristen went over to Marian and Ben's place, thanking them for watching Rubix. "It's okay, Rubix," Kristen said gently, picking him up. "They're gone now. Let's go see daddy, okay?"

Rubix's face was red and his eyes wet with tears though he nodded and hugged Kristen. "Kay." He said sniffling.

"Where's Ed? Is everything okay?" Ben asked.

Kristen nodded slowly. "It's … okay now, I guess," she sighed. "Brittany and her new boyfriend Kyle or Lyle or whatever his name is showed up out of the blue to drop Rubix off, they were really nasty, and …" She gestured to Rubix's bruised eye. "Edward got angry and they got into a fight … Jim and Lee showed up, though, so things didn't escalate too far."

"Well I'm glad everyone is alright. If either of you need anything, just let us know." He said kissing Rubix on the head.

"Benben?" Rubix asked sniffling. "Do I has to tell Dada?" He asked. Ben laughed.

"No, you don't have too." He said ruffling his hair. "I gave him a candy before supper time." Ben explained. "You both have a good night. And take care."

Kristen smiled slightly. "I think he needed it today," she said, picking up Rubix and carrying him to the door. The poor kid could use some cheering up. "Thank you again for watching him." When they arrived back at the apartment, she told Rubix: "Look, Jim and Lee came to see you."

"And Maggie?" Rubix asked looking around the apartment.

"No, no Maggie tonight." Ed said pulling the food out of the microwave from being reheated.

"Oh, okay." Rubix said wiggling to get out of Kristen's arms and onto the floor.

"Rubix …" Edward said in a very 'dad' tone. Rubix looked at him a moment before he realized his error.

"Oh. Hi Jim …. Hi ee!" He said with a half bored wave, not looking at them as he looked around the room.

"What are you looking for, Rubix?" Kristen asked. "Do you want your toys?"

"No." Rubix said looking under the bed and crawling under it.

"Just let him be. He does that sometimes." Ed said as Jim and Lee joined him at the table. "Rubix are you hungry?"

"No." Came his little voice from under the bed. "Had candy."

Kristen chuckled slightly. "Ben spoiled him a little," she confessed. "You still need to eat real food though, Rubix, so you can grow up tall like your dad."

"Dada too tall." Rubix said still under the bed. "I okay being small."

Lee laughed. "That seems to work for most kids," she said.

"Your son's too smart, Edward," Kristen said, smiling. "I blame you."

"Don't you blame me for everything anyway?" He asked before turning to Jim. "I'm glad you came when you did. With witnesses it's less likely she can accuse me of kidnapping."

"Would she try to?" Jim asked, taking a small casserole dish of mashed potatoes from Ed and placing it on the table.

"She's tried to before." Edward said.

Kristen's expression darkened as she went to help set the table. "When she dropped him off here herself?"

"Mhmm." He made a noise in the affirmative. "Though we … Really should stop talking about her in front of Rubix."

"You can talk about Mama. She's a bitch." Rubix said making Ed look at the bed where he was hidden in surprise.

"RUBIX!" Edward said loudly making the boy poke his head out and look at him. "Don't say that word!" He said calmly. "Come sit and eat."

"No." He said moving back under the bed.

"Rubix …. Don't make me tell you again. You need to eat." Edward said again.

Kristen traded an uneasy glance with Lee. "Sorry," she said. "He … Didn't learn that from us."

Edward sighed as Rubix still didn't come out. He moved to the bed and crouched down, taking hold of Rubix's ankle and gently pulling him out despite his screaming. He picked him up in his arms.

"Excuse us for a moment." He said taking Rubix downstairs.

Kristen looked confused. "Is everything okay?" she called down after them.

"The little guy's had a rough day," Lee reminded her. "Ed may need to talk through some things with him."

It was nearly five minutes later when Ed came back upstairs, Rubix's face red again from crying.

Rubix went to the table and climbed up onto his chair with some help from Ed to sit kneeling in his chair.

"I sowwy." He said looking down at his knees.

"For?" Ed asked.

"For my anguage." Rubix said looking up at his dad before peeking up at Lee and Jim.

"It's alright, we forgive you," Lee said, reaching over and ruffling Rubix's hair.

"You should hear some of the language I hear on a daily basis," Jim said wryly.

"No," said Lee. "He probably shouldn't."

"Considering you work with Detective Bullock, I would rather you not repeat anything he says to my child." Edward said with a laugh as Rubix tried putting some food into his plate. Ed took the spoon from him and dished him out some mashed potatoes and a little bit of chicken. He put some peas on his plate and Rubix didn't look amused.

"Don't want that." Rubix said pointing at the peas. "Peas yucky!"

"Rubix, what did we just talk about downstairs?" Ed asked. Rubix picked up his fork.

"Kay, sowwy." He said looking up at his dad. "I eat one karter peas?" He asked trying to haggle with his dad.

Kristen couldn't help laughing slightly. "I don't know if you're really in a place to negotiate, Rubix," she said.

"I'll tell you what … If you can tell me how much of your peas is one quarter … I'll let you get away with eating half." Edward said.

Jim looked at Ed as if he'd gone insane. "He's three there's no way he knows fractions."

"This much?" Rubix asked after organizing his peas with his fork. Ed looked at Kristen.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"I think he's pretty close," she had to admit, fairly impressed.

"Well colour me impressed." Jim said with a chuckle. "Then again I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Like father like son right?" Jim asked.

"Not always …" Ed said so quietly even Kristen, who was closest to him would have barely heard it.

He split Rubix's peas in half and told him which side to eat.

"That one's bigger." Rubix complained.

"You could eat them all if you'd prefer." Edward said raising an eyebrow.

"This side fine!" Rubix said digging into the peas first, trying to get them over with.

"A very pragmatic approach," Lee said, amused.

Kristen gave Edward's hand a gentle squeeze. She wished he wasn't so hard on himself, just because he'd developed his intellectual potential later in life. She wondered if Rubix would be quite so advanced at this age without Edward's support and encouragement.

"I'm with you, kid," Jim stage-whispered to Rubix, an earnest look on his face. "Vegetables are overrated."

"Don't encourage him." Lee said elbowing Jim in the arm.

Dinner finished relatively quickly before Rubix went downstairs, having eaten at least a quarter of his peas, not the full half, leaving the adults upstairs to converse. It was about an hour later when Jim and Lee were getting ready to leave.

"When I get in tomorrow, I'll write up an official statement for you, stating that I was witness to Rubix's mother bringing him here of her own accord. Even if she doesn't try anything, it may help in your case."

"Thank you Detective Gordon." Edward said.

"Ed …. You can call me Jim." Jim said for what felt like the thousandth time. The man seemed to be all about formalities and manners. It was kind of annoying sometimes … But that was Ed.

"Seriously, Jim," Kristen said. "Thank you … You've both done so much."

"It'll be alright," Lee assured her. "You have a solid case."


	33. Chapter 33

Lee came into the records annex a few days later. "Hey," she said, holding a cup of takeout coffee in her hands. "How's it going?" She asked Kristen who looked quite frazzled. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Kristen smiled tiredly, filing another folder of forms from the massive stack piled atop her desk. "Just … a lot on my mind lately."

"Maybe you should take a break. I noticed you haven't left since you got here, that had to be at least six hours ago." Lee said. "Do you want to go for coffee? I'm out." She said shaking her empty cup. "My treat."

Kristen paused for a moment, adjusting her glasses as she looked wearily down at the stack of folders that cops had kept haphazardly leaving here all day. They weren't making it easy to prepare the records annex for the person who'd be covering for her tomorrow … But she'd at least gotten these into some semblance of order. It could wait long enough to get coffee. She nodded. "Thanks," she said, closing a filing cabinet drawer. "You're right … I could use a break."

"Want to head over to Carl's Diner?" Lee asked. "Coffee isn't that great but it's close."

"Better idea," said Kristen, picking up her purse. "There's a little place off the corner of Kirby and Main that Edward likes. The coffee's better, and it's much quieter. You can have an actual conversation and everything."

"Sure, sounds quaint." She said, "That's not far from here, we can walk it." She said. The walk to the coffee shop was pleasant, they made idle chit chat about the weather. When they got to the shop they ordered their coffee and sat at a table near the window. "I'm surprised there's no one here." Lee said looking around.

"It's because it's so small and out of the way," Kristen said, taking a sip of her coffee. "You'd miss it if you didn't already know it was here. But they do some good business with the regulars who come through here in the morning." She glanced out the window thoughtfully. "Thank you for pulling me away from work," she said. "I'm just … kind of stressed about the court date tomorrow."

"I bet. I can only imagine how Ed's feeling right now." She said sipping her latte. "Is he ready?"

"As ready as he can be," Kristen sighed. "I think he wants for things to finally be settled, and to not have to worry anymore about losing Rubix, but … He's afraid."

"Yeah … Even with the evidence and our witness, the courts generally favour the mother over a single father." She said shaking her head.

Kristen fidgeted slightly. "Well," she said. "Edward's lawyer did have an idea … That it might go farther toward showing the judge that he could build a stable home for Rubix if I adopted him."

"If you …" Lee paused as she considered what she was saying. "You mean beside his custody? Are you …. Are you ready for that? He's not asking you to is he? That's a big decision."

"He isn't pressuring me into it," Kristen said, ignoring the question of whether she was ready for now. "He didn't even want to tell me the lawyer had suggested it … I had to pry it out of him. He … seems okay with the idea, I guess, but he's afraid of what might happen if we break up later on, and he doesn't want me to decide too quickly and regret it …" She shook her head. "But there isn't really a lot of time to decide, is there?" She looked across the table at Lee, her eyes completely overwhelmed.

"That's good but … Are you really ready for that? To be a mother? Not only a mother but a mother to someone else's child? I'm sure he won't blame you if you say no. He has a solid case …" Lee said, worried about just how quickly their relationship has gone. Then again, she wasn't in a position to talk. Her and Jim hadn't dated that long and she was already pregnant. But it was her child. She didn't know what she would do in Kristen's position.

"I know he wouldn't blame me," Kristen said. "But if I can do something to help, shouldn't I? And Rubix is a good kid; he's not any trouble." Kristen looked down into her coffee. "I … don't know if I'm ready, honestly," she admitted. "But …" She looked up at Lee. "How do you ever know when you're ready?"

"Sure he's a good kid now, but he's 3. Don't forget he's going to turn into a teenager one day … An adult …. He's going to consider you his mother. He's young enough that one day you'll be all he knows."

"Maybe it would be better that way," she said quietly. "If he doesn't remember having to be afraid of his mother, and he never has to be without one either. It's just … I know how hard it is to grow up in a difficult family situation. Wouldn't this be better for him?"

"Don't think about him for a moment …. Think about you …. Because if you're doing this for Rubix and Ed it might not work out the way you want it to. It might make it worse for Rubix … You have to make sure this is what you want, situation or not. If there wasn't a time frame … If there was no custody battle … Would you want to be Rubix's mother?" Lee asked.

"Yes," Kristen said, the realization settling over her with a certainty she hadn't recognized before. "Yes, I would."

"Why?" Lee asked, though it sounded conversational rather than actually questioning.

"I just …" She thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure why, but I've just grown attached to him so quickly. And when the three of us are all together, I can't help but like the idea of having a functional family …" She shook her head. "Do you think I'm rushing into this?"

"I think you're capable of making the decision you want to make. But I'd like to advise you to make that decision for yourself. Not for them." She said. "I'm glad though, that Ed has someone like you. The fact that you're even considering it …." Lee said letting the sentence hang knowing Kristen would know what she meant.

"Edward's one of a kind," Kristen said, shaking her head. "I'm still trying to live up to that." She still didn't fully understand why he was interested in someone as ordinary as her, though she was glad he was. "But I've made some pretty stupid decisions where men are concerned in the past, and … I really needed a second opinion on this, to confirm that I'm not completely crazy."

"Not crazy no just …." Lee sat back and sighed. "Brave I suppose." She said.

Kristen laughed quietly at that. "I don't know about that," she said. "But thank you. Really, this has helped a lot." If nothing else, she had a stronger sense of conviction now.


	34. Chapter 34

Edward got home shortly after five, dropped Rubix off at Ben and Marian's as they wanted to spend some time with him so they took him for dinner.

"Hey." He said to Kristen as he hung up his jacket.

"Hi," Kristen said, going over and kissing Edward as he walked in. "How was your day?"

"Let's put it this way." He said before putting on his best southern accent. "I gone done told y'all not to call he no moe!" He said looking annoyed and exasperated at the same time.

"That bad, was it?" she sighed sympathetically, then said: "So … I talked to Lee today."

Edward looked down at her and nodded. "Kristen … I don't think you should do it." He said quietly. "I can do this without you …. I mean …" Ed sighed. "That's not what I meant. I can do this with the evidence that we have."

"But …" Kristen looked at him, taken aback. "I've thought it over, and … I want to."

"Kristen … No." He said. "I know you've thought about it but so have I. I'd like for you to be his mother, but I can't ask you to do that! Not like this."

Kristen shook her head. "But it's not just because of the situation now. I'm doing this because I want to. If …" she paused, a little upset. "If you don't want me to … He's your son and that's ultimately your choice, so I'd understand, but … If you do want me to be his mother, then why can't I?"

"There's multiple reasons why you shouldn't." Edward said sitting on the bed. "I also don't want you jumping into this."

"I'm not jumping into this," Kristen said, crossing her arms in frustration. "I've thought it over and I know what I want to do. You just said a moment ago that you'd like for me to be his mother. If that's not really what you want, then just say so."

"I didn't say that!" Edward said. "It's just better for you if you didn't! Why tie yourself to someone like that, we've only been dating for two months Kristen."

"I know that," Kristen insisted. "But this is still something I want to do. Rubix deserves a family, and I want to be part of that. If things don't work out between us, we could still be adults about it and make sure things turn out okay for Rubix. I'm not pretending to know the future of our relationship."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." Edward muttered running his hand through his hair. "You don't have to adopt him to be a part of his life though …."

"You've heard that before," Kristen repeated, her voice taking on a hard edge. "What does that even…" She shook her head. "Maybe I don't have to adopt him to be part of his life, but apparently I have to do something to convince you that I'm committed to this. Because so far, nothing I say or do seems to be good enough. The whole time we've been together, you keep acting like I'm going to just walk out on you at any minute!"

"So that's why you want to adopt him? To prove you're not going to walk out on me? That's not exactly a reason to adopt a child … And it wouldn't stop you from walking out … It would just make things more complicated."

"That's not why I want to adopt him," Kristen said, exasperated. "I want to adopt him because I care about him. It's not that complicated."

"It is complicated Kristen, and the fact that you think it isn't is proof enough that you shouldn't! This isn't something to take lightly." He said standing up and moving to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge.

"Stop assuming I'm taking this lightly," she said, growing tense as Edward walked off to the fridge in the middle of their argument. Her memory jumped back to other arguments held in other apartments, and she half expected him to return with a beer. Even when he grabbed a bottle of water, the image was still there in her head and wouldn't go away. "I know exactly how important this is, and it's kind of insulting that you think I don't. I've been trying to explain that, but once you've decided how things are, you just don't listen!"

"Yeah, of course, I'm a man so I never listen right?" He asked sitting at the table. "When have I ever ignored you or something you've said?" He asked.

"I never said being a man had anything to do with it!" Kristen snapped, pacing across the room. She wasn't able to sit down, wasn't able to be still, and every instinct she had told her that when an argument got this heated, it was safest to get as far away from the other person as possible. "Though, now that you mention it, I'm noticing a distinct pattern of putting words in my mouth! But while we're on the subject, you ignored me pretty thoroughly when you locked me in the damn basement! Not to mention later, when I tried to explain why that scared the hell out of me!" Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, and her eyes watered with angry tears that she refused to let fall.

"Is this just a thing women do?" Edward asked, trying to keep his voice calm and failing. "Just bring up old arguments to validate the current one? We discussed that one already, I'm not apologizing for that again, it was already resolved! Welcome to the present!" He said angrily.

"Stop making everything about men and women!" she gestured wildly out of sheer frustration. "I have heard enough for a lifetime about what men and women are like! You just asked me when you have ever ignored me, and I gave you an answer, just so that you could throw it in my face and invalidate what I'm saying right now!"

"A response to which your only answer is the ONE TIME I A. Killed my father and B. Was concussed because I just had my face beaten into a cupboard! Or perhaps the next day when we had to dispose of a body, I murdered someone else, found a crime boss, harboured him in my apartment, and had to nurse him back to health …." He said getting even angrier. "Bravo …. Can you think of any others? Perhaps you'd like to bring up the incident in the bathroom … I suppose that was my fault too?" He asked.

Kristen stared back at Edward, shaking with rage. It was just the same scene playing out over and over again; only the other actor changed from time to time. Standing there while someone sitting at the kitchen table talked down to her, twisted her words against her, took anything she said in her defence and turned it into a weapon to drown out what she was actually trying to say. Why was she still here? Kristen shook her head, seeming to visibly deflate. "And I thought you were different," she hissed, snatching up her purse and storming out the door, letting it slam behind her.


	35. Chapter 35

Edward sat in the kitchen, his hands threaded through his hair. He couldn't believe that happened. Couldn't believe the idiotic words that came out of his mouth. He glanced at the clock and groaned banging his head on the table. It had been an hour since she'd left and he honestly couldn't blame her. She'd just been trying to help, and he'd taken his anger and his stress out on her as he promised he never would.

'You really blew it this time.' Ed groaned as that damn voice came back again.

"Go away. I don't have time for you right now. I need to find a way to get her to forgive me."

'She's gone dude …' The hallucination said with a smile. 'You really messed up this time. It's just you and me now!'

"She'll forgive me …." Ed said though he sounded doubtful. "She has to." But he knew she didn't.

'Well … You're not doing any good just sitting there.' The hallucination said, for once actually being slightly helpful.

"You're right." He said looking down at the table. He'd opened his cell phone again, without realizing it at first but he dialled the number for the seventeenth time.

'Surprise of all surprises … No answer.' Edward tossed his phone into his pocket and grabbed his jacket.

"I'm not giving up so easily." He said before driving to Kristen's apartment after a short stop on the way.

By the time the doorbell rang, Deidre had already managed to draw out a furious, teary-eyed synopsis of what had happened, before Kristen had retreated to her room, insisting that she 'Needed Time Alone to Think'. No amount of coaxing, ice cream, or stolen alcohol had been sufficient to get her to come out.

"Hey, Kris!" Deidre called, going to answer the door. "I think the ass is here to see you."

"I'm not talking to him right now!" Kristen called from her room. "Tell him to go away!"

Edward knocked on the door again. "Let me in please. Don't make me sleep out here. I'll do it!" He threatened.

Deidre went to the door and opened it. "You really messed up this time!"

"Yeah I know … Can I come in please?" Deidre regarded him a moment before she let him in. "Thank you." He said heading over to Kristen's room.

He knocked on her bedroom door quietly. "Kristen?" He asked.

Kristen groaned, her voice strangely muffled, as if she had just shoved her head under a pillow that she definitely had not been crying into. "Deidre!" she yelled. "You are the worst guard ever."

"I'm sorry he gave me the eyes! You know the ones I'm a sucker for! Let him in before he starts pawing at the door!" Deidre yelled across the apartment.

Kristen sighed. "He's not a stray cat, Deidre, he's a human who should know better!" But she got up anyway and stalked over to the door, angrily drying her tears and muttering something under her breath about evicting Deidre. She unlocked the bedroom door and then turned away, going back to sit on the bed facing the opposite direction, knowing that if he saw her face he'd know she'd been crying, he'd know that he had gotten to her.

"Whatever you have to say, make it quick," she said curtly. "I'm done talking to you for tonight."

Edward stepped quietly into the room, leaving the door open behind him as he approached the bed, a black square cloth bag in his hand.

"That … That's fine. I didn't come here to fight. I came to apologize and … You're right … I don't listen when I should. And when I'm stressed I take it out on people I shouldn't. Just with Rubix and this new job-" he paused and sighed. "I'm making excuses again …" He said pausing as they stayed in silence for a moment. "I am sorry … And … I'll understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore. I'll stop phoning you." He said quietly. "I should listen better, you're right … But … I do try. Maybe not when it matters but … I do." He said placing the rectangular black cloth bag onto her side dresser and leaving the room.

Kristen sighed, resting her head in her hands as Edward left the room. He had apologized at least … Though experience reminded her that an apology didn't mean things would actually get better. But … He really did seem sincere. And she felt bad that they'd ended up fighting the night right before Rubix's court case. She should go after him, talk things out. She stood up, glancing over at the cloth bag on the dresser … The bag squeaked. She opened the bag, and a gray and silver striped kitten scampered out of what turned out to be a cat carrier.

Kristen gasped as she went over to pick up the kitten. "He didn't have to …" she whispered. Looking more closely at its markings, her eyes widened. It was an Egyptian Mau. Just like she'd wanted since she'd read about them as a little girl. But her dad had thought it was too expensive, and her mom would have nothing to do with animals of any variety in the house. It was just a memory that she'd mentioned once off-hand, thinking nothing of it. And Edward had remembered it, even the breed. This wasn't a bribe to make her forget that she was angry … This was Edward trying to show her that he'd listened. No one she'd been with in the past would have remembered that, if they even listened to it …

"Edward!" Kristen called after him, coming out of her room, cradling the kitten, which was looking around curiously with bright eyes. "Wait."

Edward was already half way down the street, his hands in his pockets as he made his way towards his car.

'You blew it dummy!' He walked past the hallucination that was leaning against one of the trains support posts above the street, ignoring it but it appeared again walking beside him. 'You give in so easily!'

"Leave me alone." He said bitterly. He didn't want to deal with it right now. If only it worked that way.

Kristen made it out of the building before Edward reached his car. "Wait!" she called after him, running to catch up, while the confused kitten mewed in protest at all the rapid movement. She looked up at Edward, her eyes still red from crying. "Can … Can we talk?"

Edward was honestly surprised as she chased him down the street and he half wondered if it was his hallucination messing with his head again. There was no way she'd chase after him like that … But when he turned and looked at her, and saw the tears in her eyes, the kitten struggling in her hands trying to crawl up to her shoulder … He knew she had to be real.

"I didn't think you'd want to." He said wondering how she took the offer of the Kitten. "It's not a bribe you know …. You don't owe me anything …"

"I know," Kristen said quietly, petting the kitten behind its ears. "But… No one else would have remembered something like that, let alone gone out and …" She shook her head. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did." He said quietly, his hands still in his pockets as he stared at the ground. "I shouldn't have done that …. I knew what I was saying was hurtful and I didn't mean any of it but I said it anyway."

Kristen sighed. "It … did hurt, but everyone says things they don't mean sometimes when they're worried or stressed … I got carried away too. I wasn't trying to tell you what to do about Rubix, I just …" she glanced down at the kitten in her arms. "I just wanted to help."

Ed was silent for a moment before he sighed. "Do you love him?" He asked. He doubted she did, she hardly knew him, and it was a lot to ask for but … He wanted to know how she felt about him.

"Yes," Kristen whispered, looking up at him again. "At least, I want to take care of him and make sure he's safe and happy … It's not just because of you, if that's part of what you're worried about."

Edward sighed and nodded. "Then … What ever you chose … I'll respect that. I will have to call my lawyer before nine tonight, if you do decide to." He said sniffing and rubbing his nose slightly. "Do you … Do you want to come back to my place?"

Kristen hesitated. It might be best for them both to have a little space to cool down, but it seemed like the worst of this fight was over. And she wanted the comfort of being close to him, to reassure her that things really were alright again. "I'd like that," she said quietly. "If it's okay with you."

"I'd like you to." He said. "I have to pick up Rubix. If …" He paused, not wanting to voice what he was about to say. "If I … We … Lose this case tomorrow … Tonight might be the last night we have with him."

Kristen's eyes widened, the reality of what he had just said suddenly hitting her. And to think, they'd been fighting tonight… She took Edward's hand in hers. "Let's go pick him up," she said, understanding.

"We should grab the carrier first. And pick up the stuff for him. Deidre brought them into your place." He said grabbing the kitten as it lunged out of Kristen's arms. "What are we going to name him?"

Kristen thought about it for a moment, and then smiled slightly. "Why don't we see if Rubix has any ideas?" she said.


	36. Chapter 36

"What's in a bag Kisten?" Rubix asked as they got in the apartment.

"The." Edward corrected him.

"That's what I say! What's in a bag?" Rubix repeated. Edward shook his head as he set about making supper.

"Something very special," Kristen said, smiling slightly as she put the cat carrier down. "Do you want to see?"

"Is it for me?" He asked looking up at her.

"Rubix. It belongs to Kristen, don't be rude." Edward said setting out plates as Kristen sat on the floor with the carrier next to Rubix.

Kristen opened the carrier, and the little Egyptian Mau leapt out, tilting it's head to look curiously up at Rubix.

Rubix gasped. "KITTSY!" He said excited as he made to grab for it.

"Rubix." Edward warned making him pause before he touched it. "It's just a baby, you have to be careful." He said. "Pet him gentle."

"Like this," Kristen said, showing Rubix how to pet the kitten gently. "You have to be careful with small animals, okay?"

Rubix pet the kitten twice gently like Kristen showed him before the kitten jumped and started running around the room making Rubix laugh. It ran around the room a few times before it hopped up on the bed, it's claws digging into the blanket.

Kristen laughed as she went over to pick up the cat. "Kindly refrain from destroying the blankets, kitty," she said. She looked over at Rubix. "Do you want to help me come up with a name for him?"

"BABU!" Rubix said jumping up, as if the name where obvious. Edward looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Why Babu?" Kristen asked curiously, though when she looked down at the kitten, it certainly didn't look much like a Babu … Whatever a Babu was.

"No." Rubix said as the kitten jumped down and ran around again. "Pazu!"

Kristen turns the syllables over in her mind for a moment, trying to make sense of it. "Oh," she said, thinking she understood. "Puzzle?"

"Pazus!" Rubix said starting to get frustrated.

"Puzzles?" Edward asked.

"Yeah!" Rubix said running to the bed as the cat ran under.

"I think that's an excellent name," Kristen agreed. "Puzzles it is."

Edward came quietly up the stairs having put Rubix to bed after insisting for once that he wanted to sleep in the bed as dadas bed is too crowded.

"He's tuckered out from playing with the cat." He said pulling out his pajamas even though it was only 8:30. They were going to have an early morning tomorrow, since they were expected to be there at 6am.

Puzzles, too, had run out of energy, and was curled up in the corner of the bed. "That's good," Kristen said, looking over at Edward, concerned. "How are you feeling? Do you think you'll be able to sleep?"

"I doubt it." He said with a sigh as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it in the hamper.

"We have a strong case," Kristen reminded him, unbuttoning her blouse. "It's going to be okay."

He went up to her and pulled her into a hug. "I hope so." He whispered, but he couldn't keep the tremble out of his voice.

Kristen held Edward tight, wishing she could do something to make him feel less scared … But she was afraid of losing Rubix too, of letting those harsh uncaring people take him away for good. If that happened… poor Rubix would understand when he was older, maybe, but how could Edward explain not being able to see him anymore? It was impossible.

"I want to adopt him," Kristen said quietly, her voice unwavering. "If you'll let me."

Edward didn't let go of her as she spoke. He sighed as he looked down at her. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes," Kristen said, more certain in that moment than ever before. "I know it's soon, but … I'm sure."

"Okay." He said almost sounding like he was sighing as he said it. "I'll … I'll call my lawyer, let him know what you've decided." He said kissing the top of her head. "How did I get so lucky to find you?" He asked.

"Not lucky," Kristen said, smiling slightly as she looked up at him. "Just incredibly persistent."

"I was not persistent …." Edward said moving away from her and going for his cell phone. "I was just …. Awkward and scared to ask you out." He said.

"In hindsight," Kristen said. "You were adorable."

"In hindsight I was menacing and weird." He said quoting her words from months ago, though not in a mean way.

"You did seem that way at the time," Kristen admitted. "We didn't communicate terribly well back them."

"I'm sorry." Edward said, glancing at the clock. "I really should call my lawyer now though." He said flipping his phone open. The call lasted less than five minutes, and ended with Edward placing his phone down on the side dresser. "Alright … Everything's set up … Your name is next to mine on his custody papers." He said as he finished changing into his pajamas. He climbed into bed next to her and kissed her temple.

"I know I've asked you this before …" Edward said. "But … No matter what happens tomorrow … I'd like it if you moved in with me."

Kristen looked back at Edward nervously. "Edward, I …" She'd been reconsidering his offer for awhile now. She was over here most of the time now anyway, which seemed like it would be a reasonable indicator that they could be happy living together. But it was still a big change. "I like the idea of that but … What happens if we have another fight like that?" Part of the reasons she'd had misgivings before was knowing that she might still need somewhere to retreat to. "And what about Deidre?"

"If we fight again then we separate ourselves until we calm down like grown adults, and then talk it out like we did tonight." Edward said. "As for Deidre, that's entirely up to her. We haven't really done anything with her since we all started dating …" Edward said still feeling a bit odd about that. "Perhaps we could save that discussion until after tomorrow. Ultimately though it would be up to her."

"Well," Kristen admitted. "We did manage to talk through that okay." Though part of that was because she'd been able to walk away so they could both cool down. It could take more effort to do that once they were living together. And figuring out how Deidre was going to fit into all of this could be a challenge, since she was living at Kristen's place. But somehow, she had faith that they would be able to work it out.

Kristen was quiet for a moment, then said: "I think… We can make living together work… But I don't ever want to fight in front of Rubix."

"I don't ever want to fight at all." He said. "But I'm sure it's bound to happen. Let's try to keep it to civil conversation."

"I'd prefer that," Kristen agreed, looking at him intently. "As much as I appreciate the kitten, I really hate fighting with you."

"I'd certainly hope so." He said. "When's your lease up?" He asked.

"At the end of next month," Kristen said, her sense of nervousness growing. Her little sanctuary would be gone. Everything in Edward's apartment seemed to have its own particular place. Where would all of her books go? And where would Deidre stay? She doubted Edward was quite ready for a long-term Deidre invasion … Let alone how they would even explain that to Rubix. But … at the same time, she was excited too. She had been considering the idea, turning it over in her mind, ever since Edward had first proposed it. And didn't she feel inexplicably safer with Edward around anyway? Besides, she would be better able to help take care of Rubix once they were living together.

"Good. Then when I'm off work on Wednesday we can head over, slowly start packing stuff." He said pulling her into his arms and kissing her head. "I love you." He said quietly.

"I love you too," Kristen whispered, snuggling close against him.


	37. Chapter 37

Edward sat at the table tapping his fingers on the hardwood top when Brittany and her boyfriend finally came into the room as if she owned the place.

"Sorry I'm late." She said, her purse hooked on her arm. It was clear she had been out shopping recently. Edward knew the signs. Like she didn't have anywhere more important to be.

Kristen shook her head slightly, but didn't comment on it. At least this couldn't possibly make Brittany look good to the judge. She doubted that alone would be enough to sway him, though.

"Now that you have arrived, we can begin proceedings," the judge said, looking somehow mildly bored. "According to the files, both of you have expressed dissatisfaction with the current custody arrangement, and are now pursuing full custody, and seeking to revoke the custody and visitation rights of the other parent. Is this still correct?"

Edward and Brittany both agreed, though Brittany seemed just as bored as the judge did. "Yes sir." Edward said, taking Kristen's hand below the table, his hands sweating with nerves.

"Ms. Free," the judge said, inclining his head to Brittany. "Since you currently have primary custody, I will ask you to share your testimony first. Do you have any valid reason to deny Mr. Nygma his current partial custody rights?"

"Yeah," Brittany said, crossing her arms. "He doesn't even take Rubix for half the weekends he's supposed to, and when he does, he never gives him back on time. He just lost his job with the GCPD, and last I saw him, he tried to attack my boyfriend."

Kristen's hand tightened around Edward's as Brittany spoke, holding herself back from a variety of sharp responses.

"I see," the judge said, his voice a tired sigh, as if he had seen this same scene play out a million times. "Mr. Nygma, can you respond to Ms. Free's complaints, and provide any valid reasons you have to revoke her custody rights?"

"I don't know where she lives to pick him up, she never drops him off either despite the fact that she knows it's my weekend. I try calling her and she never answers." He said pulling out a slip of paper. "This is the records of my multiple phone calls on each weekend I was supposed to have him." He said handing it to someone who came up and took it up to the judge for him. "The last time she did drop him off she threw him at me and he got hurt. She said she didn't want him anymore. Complained he did nothing but whine and cry all the time. I also have photo evidence of physical abuse either done by her or her boyfriend." He said handing the man the photos as well. "She has a history of drug abuse which she was arrested for last month. It's not a positive environment to raise a child." He said.

The judge looked sternly over the calls record and the photographs as they were handed to him, though a certain detachment remained in his eyes. Kristen wanted to yell at him to wake up and take this seriously, but then she supposed that seeing cases like this every day would take a toll on someone who allowed himself to care.

"The call log does appear to back up Mr. Nygma's claim … These photographs could be a serious issue as well, if you can prove that the injuries were sustained while Rubix was in Ms. Free's care … Ms. Free's arrest record is also on file, which does bear some concern…" The judge looked down at Edward. "There is, however, still the matter of your employment. Have you found another position since you were terminated from the GCPD?"

"The photos are dated at the time they were taken by the developer. I don't know if that will hold up, but you will find that the dates match the dates I received him. The bruises are a few days old, while he was in her care. And yes I have found employment. I work full time, over time every second week, plus commission. I bring home approximately $900 a week on a good week, $600-$700 on a bad week. More than enough to care for him. I also have someone to look after him while my girlfriend and I are at work."

"The photos are … enough to raise a few questions," the judge acknowledged. "Do you have proof of your current employment? Two recent pay stubs, or a contract perhaps?"

"I do." He said pulling out his pay stubs. I also have a witness to her accusation that I 'assaulted' her boyfriend." He said handing the stubs to the man who brought them to the judge. "I confronted him about hitting my son, he punched me twice." He said even though it was a little off topic.

"That's bull shit." Brittany said. "We dropped Rubix off at your apartment as you requested, and then when we left you came flying out of your apartment and punched him in the back of the head!"

"There's a GCPD detective who saw something else," Kristen snapped back, glaring at Brittany. She'd be damned if she was going to let this irresponsible, abusive, neglectful excuse for a mother turn Edward's protective anger against him.

"I would thank you all to refrain from bickering in my courtroom," the judge said sternly. He shook his head. "As much as I dislike to consider separating a child from his mother, the environment Ms. Free is providing seems unstable at best … But I have yet to hear anything conclusive to confirm that yours is any better, Mr. Nygma."

"And you have yet to hear anything from her at all." Edward said but nevertheless made his case. "I have a stable home, a steady job, more than enough help to take care of him, I've done nothing but love and care for him while he has been in my home on the rare occasions I get him. He will have everything he needs and requires in my care. He always has, and he always will. I am more than fit to be a parent to my son."

"You most likely are," the judge acknowledged, in a tone that seemed to indicate that was of relatively little concern to him. "At this point, an extension of your custody beyond the original agreement seems appropriate … But because you have so rarely had the opportunity to care for him, you may not be aware of how difficult an undertaking raising a child can be, particularly on your own. Exactly what kind of support system do you have in place to help?"

"What do you mean by support system?" He asked. He already told him that he had someone to watch him while he was at work, he rarely went out other than that … What else would be needed?

"You said you have someone to watch him," the judge said. "Who? How do you know them? How do you know they will continue to be available, and what will you do if they aren't? You have also mentioned your girlfriend, but how do you know she will remain committed to taking care of a child that isn't hers? You have to admit, that's a lot to expect from someone."

"I've filed to adopt him," Kristen said steadily. "So I won't be backing out on him, if that's what you mean."

"What!?" Brittany shrieked. "You think you can just let your little whore replace the boy's actual mother!?"

"As far as I'm concerned Miss. Free, Rubix does not have a mother until Kristen signs that paper." Edward said flatly. "I also have a neighbor who is willing to watch him if need be." He said turning his attention back to the judge. "They are the closest thing I have to parents. They love Rubix like their own grandchild. Ben works during the day, but his wife retired a long time ago. She was a stay at home mother until they lost their own child due to illness through no fault of their own. She sees Rubix as her grandchild and wouldn't have it any other way. She's very reliable."

"You may receive a few visits from social workers to confirm that…" the judge said. "However … Given Ms. Free's arrest record, and these questionable photographs, and given that Mr. Nygma at least appears to have put a responsible amount of planning into the child's well-being … I am awarding primary custody of Rubix Edgar Free to Edward Nygma. And, for the time being, I am revoking custody and visitation rights from Ms. Free, pending an abuse investigation."

"THIS IS BULL SHIT!" Brittany said. "You didn't even say anything to me! Where's my opportunity to make my case? All of that was a lie! I'd never hurt my own child!" She said angrily.

"Ms. Free, You abandoned him over a week ago … You didn't want him, you never wanted him, he was just tool for you to hurt me with!" Edward said starting to lose his cool.

Kristen rested a hand on Edward's arm. "Edward," she said quietly. "It's over." She didn't know whether the judge could still change his mind at this point, but she didn't want to risk that now.

"You spoke first, I seem to recall," the judge said, sounding bored again and slightly irritated. "I have said there will be an investigation. If no further evidence of abuse or of continued drug use is found in Ms. Free's residence, then we can hold another hearing to reevaluate visitation or secondary hearing rights. But primary custody goes to Mr. Nygma." He let a gavel fall unenthusiastically on the podium. "Case dismissed."

Edward hated the cliche but, he felt like a weight had been lifted. Like there had been a tight band around his chest that had suddenly been cut. He turned to Kristen, a smile on his face. "We won." He said as Brittany got up so quickly her chair fell back. She approached Ed and before any of the guards could stop her she slapped him as hard as she could and shoved him back so hard he fell straight into Kristen making them both land hard on the floor.

Kristen winced as she hit the floor, Edward landing hard on top of her. Connecting the fear in Rubix's eyes every time Brittany was near him, the almost identical fear in Edward's the first time she'd come by to pick the kid up, and this, Kristen got the feeling this wasn't the first time Brittany had knocked him around. "What's your problem!?" Kristen yelled, adjusting her glasses back into place where they'd been knocked askew. "You said yourself you didn't want Rubix, you don't want Edward either, so congratulations! Get on with your life and leave us alone."

"Guards," the judge said, tiredly rubbing at his temples, as if there wasn't a completely unseemly display of temper playing out right in front of him. "Will you get these people out of my courtroom?"

"That's not necessary. We're leaving." Edward said getting up and helping Kristen up as well. "In the meantime Ms. Free, I will be getting a restraining order until the court says otherwise." He said as the guards escorted Brittany and her otherwise silent boyfriend out of the room. He took Kristen's hand in his and led her out of the room before the judge had them removed as well. "I'm sorry about that." He said once they were out. "Were you hurt?" He asked.

Kristen shook her head. "I'm fine," she assured him. "You?"

"We won." Edward said in response. "I couldn't be better." He said pulling her into a hug.

Smiling up at him with sudden joyous realization, Kristen wrapped her arms tight around Edward, and leaned up to kiss him. They did it. They won. Rubix would never have to go back to his uncaring mother, would never be dragged away from them with a look of fear in his eyes, would never have to wonder if he was safe or loved ever again. And Edward seemed happier and more alive right now than he had in some time.


	38. Chapter 38

Two weeks had passed relatively quickly. Rubix had been ecstatic to find out that not only was he coming to live with dada permanently, but Kristen was going to be his new mommy.

Rubix lay in bed quietly, having heard someone walking around upstairs, probably dada going potty. But he didn't hear the toilet flush. He didn't hear anything anymore. He slowly sat up sideways in bed, holding himself up with his hands as he glanced at the clock in the basement and saw it was three am.

He wondered if he should go upstairs and check. But he didn't want to get into trouble for being out of bed so late. But … What if it wasn't dada walking around? What if it was mommy coming to take him away again? He clutched his teddy bear as he moved toward the narrow stairs in the dark. He slowly climbed up and poked his head out. There was no one up there. At least not walking around.

"Dada?" He whispered but there was no response. He climbed out of the trap door and slowly padded around the apartment looking for his dad. He could see Kristen in bed, sleeping softly under the covers, but no dada.

He looked in the bathroom, no one there. He walked over to the bed and stood in front of Kristen. Should he wake her up? What if she'd be mad at him? He looked around nervously, listening to the ticking of the clock before he touched Kristen's shoulder. "Kisten." He said quietly.

"Hmm?" Kristen murmured sleepily, stirring back toward consciousness. She reached out an arm for Edward, but he wasn't there next to her. She opened her eyes to see Rubix looking up at her from beside the bed. "What is it, Rubix?" she yawned, reluctantly making herself sit up. She didn't see Edward anywhere.

"Where dada?" He asked quietly, as if he were still scared of waking her up even though she was clearly awake. "Dada gone." He said tugging on the blanket and using it to pull himself up onto the bed next to her. It was clear she wasn't like mommy. She wasn't yelling at him to go back to bed.

Kristen blinked, staring back at Rubix. "Gone?" Where would Edward go in the middle of the night like this? He hadn't even woken her. "Are you sure he didn't just go to the bathroom or something?" she asked. Though when she glanced over, she saw no light coming from under the bathroom door. And he couldn't be down in the basement, since Rubix had just come from there …

"I hear walking and then gone." Rubix said sadly. "I want my dada." He said sniffing suddenly a bit scared in the dark room with his dad gone.

"Of course you do," Kristen said gently, pulling Rubix to her in a hug. She remembered how scary it was to be small and alone in the dark. "Don't worry, we'll find him, okay?" she said, picking him up as she stood to go turn on a light. Not finding him anywhere around the apartment, she called his cell phone … only to hear a buzzing sound back behind her. Her heart sank as she turned around to see Edward's cell phone vibrating on the bedside table. "It's okay," she said, keeping her voice calm, trying not to show her growing sense of alarm in front of Rubix. He was scared enough already. "I'm sure he … he just couldn't sleep and went for a walk. He'll be back soon." But she wasn't certain of that in the least. The only reason she could imagine him wandering off like this in the middle of the night, especially without his phone, was that he was having another episode.

"But it's dark out." Rubix said pointing outside. Even the neon green "games and toys" light was off for the night. "Why dada go out?" He asked. "Dada okay?"

"I'm sure daddy's fine," Kristen reassured Rubix, kissing him on the forehead. "He's a smart, grown-up man. He knows how to take care of himself." Though she feared that poor Rubix might be too smart for her reassurances. "Let's get you back to bed, okay? Daddy will come back soon, and I'm not going anywhere." If she got Rubix tucked back into bed, then maybe she could figure out what to do. She carried Rubix back down the stairs.

"Dada be home in the morning right?" Rubix asked as she tucked him back into bed still clutching his teddy.

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Kristen said, evading answering the question directly. She didn't want to make any promises that would disappoint him later. She smoothed back his hair gently. "Don't worry."

"Okay." He said sitting up and kissing Kristen's cheek. "Kisten …" Rubix said laying back down on the bed. "I know you're not my real mommy. But you're a much better mommy than she was!" He said snuggling down in bed with his teddy.

Kristen winced a slight smile at that. Rubix shouldn't have to make that comparison. He should have had a good mother to begin with. But all she could do was make sure things were better from now on. "Thank you, Rubix," Kristen said softly, tucking him back in before standing up to leave. "You go back to sleep now, and if you need anything, I'm right upstairs, okay?"

"Okay." Rubix said. "Night night Kisten." He said yawning, already starting to fall asleep. It was very late after all.

Kristen quietly padded back up the stairs, trying not to panic. Okay. So, Edward didn't have his phone, which was alarming in and of itself, so she couldn't call him. He couldn't have been out very long … but she couldn't very well run out looking for him and leave Rubix here alone. There wasn't a single trace or clue around the apartment about where he could have gone. Should she call someone? It was too early to call the police, and it might be nothing. Anyway, Edward had never told Lee or Jim about his episodes, and would no doubt prefer to keep it that way. The only other person who knew was Deidre. She supposed she could call her … But what was Deidre supposed to do, exactly? Wander the streets of Gotham aimlessly calling out: 'Edward!' until he showed up?

No. Edward had been out for less than an hour. It was too early for any of that. Which meant that all she could do right now was wait, worry, and hope he showed up by morning. Otherwise, she had no idea how she was going to explain this to Rubix. He was a smart kid. He knew something was wrong.

Come the next morning Rubix came bounding up the stairs, having completely forgotten his late night excursion upstairs to find his dad whilst half asleep. "Dada?" He asked coming up the stairs and reaching the top. "Breaky dada!" He said running around the apartment before he realized his dad had left last night. He looked at Kristen who was in the Kitchen where his dad usually was. "Dada not home yet?" He asked.

Kristen looked anxiously down at Rubix, and shook her head, trying not to let on how worried she still was. She hadn't slept all night. "I'm sure he'll be back before much longer," she said, picking Rubix up. "But I'll go ahead and call some people who can help us look, and then I'll make breakfast, okay?"

Rubix looked at her skeptically. He knew something was wrong, but he knew his dada wouldn't abandon him like mommy did. He wouldn't. He'd been so happy when he moved in. Did he maybe do something wrong? "Okay." He said as she took him to sit on the bed.

The unconvinced look on Rubix's little face didn't escape her notice. "Hey," she said firmly. "Your daddy loves you, and he's coming back as soon as he can. You'll see. Now," she asked, hoping to cheer him up a little. "What should I make for breakfast?"

"Dada makes breaky!" He asked looking up at her. "Can you cook?" He asked with that bluntness only a child could have.

"I can cook breakfast foods just fine," Kristen said, unable to help smiling slightly at Rubix's bluntness. At least he didn't assume all adults could cook … But then, between Edward and Brittany, Rubix might well assume that cooking was something that just dads did, in the same way that many children assumed that was what moms did. In any case, Kristen was nowhere near Edward's skill level in the kitchen, but breakfast foods were manageable enough.

Rubix looked up at her skeptically before he shrugged. "Cereal is fine pease." He said jumping down from the bed and trying to grab the Rubik's cube off the shelf but it was too high for him.

Sighing, Kristen went over and picked up the Rubik's cube, handing it down to him. She had bigger problems right now than an unintentional insult from a three-year-old. She got down the cereal box and set about getting bowls while she called Lee.

A few seconds later Lee answered, laughing about something going on on her end. "Hello." She said. "Jim stop. Hello?"

"Hi, Lee. It's Kristen," she said, glancing over at Rubix, trying to control the tone of worry in her voice. "Sorry to bother you but I … Don't suppose either of you have heard from Ed since last night? He left the apartment around three in the morning, and he hasn't come back yet. He didn't say where he was going, and didn't take his phone so … I can't imagine he meant to be gone this long."

"Um, I haven't. Jim have you heard from Ed recently?" She asked. There was a muffled 'no, why what's up?' From the background before Lee answered. "Ed disappeared last night."

Kristen tensed slightly at the word 'disappeared,' pushing back the tightly controlled fear that threatened to overtake her. But Lee was exactly right. Edward wouldn't still be gone right now unless something had happened to him. "Will GCPD pay attention to a missing person report this early?" Kristen asked, the words sounding surreal as they came out of her mouth. But if anything had happened to Edward, waiting around in denial wouldn't help.

Rubix looked up at Kristen, the Rubik's cube still in his hands. Daddy disappeared? He was missing.

"It might be too early to file a report. But that doesn't sound right. Is Rubix still there?" Lee asked.

"Yes," Kristen confirmed. "He heard Edward leave last night and came to wake me up and ask where he went."

"Here I'll let you talk to Jim." She said handing him the phone.

"Hey Kristen. What time did he hear him leave?" Jim asked, pulling out a pad of paper to take a few notes.

"It … It was around three a.m.," she said, reminded of all the countless people who came through GCPD reporting missing loved ones every week. How many of them actually turned up again?

"He didn't leave a note? Nothing? Did he maybe tell you anything and you were half asleep and forgot?" He asked.

"I haven't found a note, and I've been looking everywhere," she said. If he'd left one, surely she would have found it by now. Generally, people left notes in places where you were likely to find them. "I … guess he could have said something when I wasn't really awake, but …" she thought about it, and shook her head. "I don't think so. I was really sound asleep. I didn't even hear him leave, Rubix did."

"Okay. I'm going into work in about an hour, I'll have a few people keep an eye out for him. If he doesn't show up by tonight or contact you, I'd recommend coming down … File a missing person's report. Normally I wouldn't say so within the first 12 hours. He's a grown adult. But it doesn't sound like Ed to leave with no word … Especially now that he just got custody of his son."

"You're right," Kristen said quietly. "It's not like him. I'll take your advice and keep you posted. Thank you for helping."

"No problem." Jim said. "I'm sure everything will be fine." He said before ending the call. Rubix came up to Kristen his hand going up to her pant leg and tugging slightly.

"Kisten." Rubix said sadly. "Dada's not coming home is he?"

"He's …" Kristen looked down at Rubix's sad face. He was too smart to lie to him. But she couldn't let him think his dad had abandoned him too. She crouched down to Rubix's level, so that she could look him in the eyed. "I … don't know where your daddy is," she said quietly. "Or when he'll get home, but … He is coming back. He loves you very much, and he won't stay away long if he can help it. He'll come back."

"You don't know that." Rubix said honestly.

Kristen put a gentle hand on Rubix's shoulder. "I know he loves you. And I know he'll come back as soon as he can. I just don't know when that will be."


	39. Chapter 39

Two weeks later and Ed still hadn't been found. An official missing persons report had been filed, multiple searches had been conducted, surprisingly gaining as many as 170 civilian volunteers, it had even been aired on the news multiple times … If Ed was okay … He would have come forward. But with the investigation, the search, it all came up with nothing. No clues, no hints of where he could have gone … He was just here, and then he wasn't. As if it were as simple as that.

And as quickly as it all began … It stopped. Two weeks and not even a clue, a hint of where he could have gone. The number of volunteers dwindled every day, from 170, to 130, to 100, to 70 …. Down and down until it was just her and Ben. And even then, it was taking a huge toll on Ben … Even the investigation, despite Jim's arguing, had been pushed to the side, and soon all of Gotham once again forgot about Ed. All except those closest to him.

Kristen had been up late last night worrying, after several sleepless nights in a row, and had finally crashed in the early hours of the morning. Light was starting to stream in from the window now, and she blinked her eyes blearily open with a groan. It was time to take care of Rubix, and then go to face work again, still not knowing where Edward was or if he was even … There was something green on the pillow next to her. It looked like a card of some kind. When had that gotten there? There definitely hadn't been anything there when she lay down to sleep … Quickly, she reached over to the bedside table and grabbed her glasses to get a better look.

The envelop was bright green with a purple question mark on it. Opening it, there was a piece of paper in it, a lighter shade of green and with black text typed on it from what appeared to be from a typewriter.

"If you want your lover found alive,

An hour long you'll have to drive,

The game is very simple,

He's located at Gotham's dimple,

You have until 9 A.m. to solve the puzzle.

Come alone, or he dies."

Kristen stared down at the paper, her hands starting to shake. It … it was a riddle. But why? Had whoever was doing this decided to mock him? Or … Or what? And how had they gotten in here to leave it on the pillow next to her? She shuddered. She could figure out who was behind it later … Right now, she needed to find out where he was and get there fast. She considered calling Jim … But knowing him, he would insist on running in there guns blazing, and the note said that if she didn't come alone, Edward … She took a deep breath. Okay. She could do this. It was six o'clock now … She could figure this out.

Gotham's dimple. What in the hell did that mean? It couldn't be literal, obviously, so what was it? A metaphor? Was it talking in terms of topography? Somewhere the land dipped, maybe? But she didn't know that off the top of her head … She went to go get a map, running other possibilities through her head as she unfolded it. If there were a Dimple St just an hour's drive from the apartment, that would be far too easy … A reference to something, maybe? A play on words? What? She looked down at the map, still not sure what angle to tackle.

An hour's drive. That wasn't a specific measure of distance, and depending on the direction, would vary widely in terms of actual mileage, accounting for traffic and the time of day. But it was at least somewhere to start. Going off of her knowledge of Gotham streets, traffic, and resulting drive-times, she marked where she would be in about an hour's time if she set out to drive in different directions, creating a radius of possible destinations. She could rule out anything either too far inside or too far outside of that. She checked different street and location names. Nothing with the word Dimple in it. It had been worth a try. No synonyms for Dimple either. No significant topographical indentations.

She frowned back down at the paper. She was missing something. Could it be something to do with the configuration of the word itself, maybe? An anagram? She directed her attention to the radius of destinations she'd drawn on her map, crossing them out in pencil as they failed to fit the anagram, until finally, she found … "Ammod Pleigh St," she murmured. "Gotham's Dimple" The intersection was about an hour out. The answer made sense … But what if she was running off in the wrong direction? Was she sure enough to bet Edward's life on it? She stared down at the card, then glanced over at the clock. It was almost seven already. If it took her an hour to get there, that only left one hour before nine … There wasn't time to hesitate.

She ran downstairs to get Rubix, dropping him off at Marian's and Ben's with only the explanation that it was an emergency, and that she would explain later. Then she sprinted down the stairs and to her car, following the map to her destination.


	40. Chapter 40

Edward was confused … Cold and confused and scared. He didn't know how long he'd been here, but he'd woken up, alone, in a brightly lit room with metal, ice covered, walls and a large window across from him which lead into a darkened room he couldn't see into. The wall to his left was a giant puzzle board that made no sense to him. He'd spent a good while screaming for help, another good while trying to find a way out, another good while trying to solve the puzzle until he couldn't feel his fingers anymore and he sat down in the middle of the back wall, trying to keep himself warm, but it felt like all the warmth he had had been sucked out of him.

He was going to die in here … And what was even more maddening than the cold …. He didn't know why.

Kristen pulled up in front of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. Before she could question whether this was where she was supposed to be, she noticed a large green question mark on the door. She cautiously looked around as she got out and approached the door, but there was no sign of anyone around. She found the door unlocked, and it creaked as she opened it into a dark room. She quickly found a light switch to her right, and flipped it on, switching on the old fluorescent lights overhead.

Directly in front of her, she saw a large window looking out on another room lit by fluorescent lights, though she couldn't see anyone there. She thought she caught a glimpse of some kind of puzzle board.

"Hello?" she called out nervously, feeling uncomfortably like someone trapped in a very cliche horror movie. "Is anyone there?"

"Kristen?" Ed asked, his voice shaking from how badly he was shivering. He forced himself to stand up, leaning against the ice covered wall.

"Edward!" Kristen gasped, running forward to the window, her hands pressing against the glass, which was freezing to the touch. He looked awful, his lips tinged with blue from prolonged exposure to the cold. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"C-cold …. I'm … Um …." He moved closer to the window. "I don't know h-how long I've been here … I c-can't get out." He said thankful that she was here but hoped this didn't put her in danger as well. "Call Jim." Edward said. "And then try to h-help m-m-me out of here …" he said looking around the room. "I don't th-think it-it'll be much l-longer before hy-hypothermia starts …" He said. He had to be coming close. He felt simultaneously hungry and nauseous at the same time … He knew that was how it started but he hoped it was merely nausea due to a lack of eating.

Kristen nodded, quickly getting out her phone. The message may have said to come alone, but she didn't see anyone around to make good on that threat. "We'll get you out of here, it'll be okay," she assured him, before Jim picked up the phone. "Jim, I found him," Kristen said rapidly, rattling off the location. "Please get here as quickly as you can."

Jim was shocked when Kristen said she'd found him, but he took down the location. "I'm close to that area, maybe twenty minutes away. Is he okay?" Jim asked.

"He's … in one piece, but showing early signs of hypothermia," she said quietly into the phone, her voice a little shaky. "The room he's in appears to be … refrigerated, and we haven't figured out how to get him out yet."

Jim was silent a moment, assessing the information. "Alright … See if you can find a way to get him out, I'll call for backup and an ambulance." He said ending the call abruptly. There really was no time to waste.

"Kristen." Edward said. "There's a small bag up there, but I can't reach it. Is there anything on your side to release the hook?" He asked pointing to the corner of the window on his left.

Kristen looked up in the direction Edward was pointing, and nodded. "There's a screw up there in the wall," she said, noticing a couple of conveniently placed steps for her to reach it. She quickly climbed them and turned the screw to release the item on the other side. "I take it you've already tried breaking the glass?" she asked, thinking over their options while trying hard not to panic.

The bag hit the floor with a clatter, chipping a bit of ice on the floor. "With what?" He asked as he picked up the bag and pulled out a small silver voice recorder. He looked up at Kristen a moment before he hit play, the voice coming through distorted.

"Hello Edward, I'm sure you're wondering why you're here. The game is simple. There are three ways out of this room. One is in a body bag. One is to solve the puzzle. At 9 o'clock the door beside you will open, at that point, you will be dead.

All your adult life you've been obsessed with winning, being right, being the smartest. Looking at every angle, every detail, but never taking your eyes off the prize.

Today we're going to find out if your compulsion to solve everything is your greatest strength ... Or your greatest weakness. Here's the riddle … Do you win or lose?" There was an odd distorted noise in the background of the tape before it cut off. The rewind buttons were removed so it was impossible to rewind it.

Kristen's eyes widened as she listened to the sinister distorted voice in the tape recorder. "This … This is insane," she whispered. It was like something out of those overrated Saw movies Deidre had made her watch. This was not something a real person would have to deal with. And what did the mysterious voice mean by three ways out? He had only listed two … What was the third one?

"What time is it?" Edward asked, going to the puzzle board. If he would be dead by nine, then judging by the temperature of the room which was marked on the wall with a thermostat, his body would completely shut down 20 minutes before that. 8:40 before he'd be unable to help himself 8:50 before he lost consciousness … 9 o'clock before he's dead.

"8:05," Kristen said, looking down at her watch. "There's a puzzle board on my side too .. Do you think we're supposed to solve it together?"

"I c-can't solve mine on my own. So I-I would as-s-sume so." He said. "There's no logic behind this puzzle. There's n-nine panels, one has s-six symbols, they look like b-buttons. One has a l-large red button, with a b-battery next to it, it says do not push. One has s-s-six wires, with f-five lights next to it, only two are lit. One has a l-large battery which can rotate and has a s-switch next to it. There's others too, what does y-yours look like? Panels like mine?"

"Yeah," Kristen said, craning her neck, to see the panel on Edward's side. No doubt the maniac who'd designed this had planned it that way. "Hang on … There's a book here. I think it may be instructions." Though it was so thick that they'd have a hell of a time finding what they needed quickly enough. She reached for the book that was chained to the wall.

"Then you may need to instruct me on how to solve mine. I'll tell you what's on mine, find the instructions and tell me what to do. We'll start with panel one." He said. "Don't bother coming to the window, going back and forth multiple times will take too long, we'll have to work with what we got." Though shortly after he heard something mechanical and a loud thunk. "What was that?" Edward asked.

Kristen stared at the wall straight ahead, thoroughly shaken. "Bars," she said, still processing what had just happened. "Just came down around me. When I grabbed the book." She was now surrounded by a narrow cage of metal framework, keeping her from moving more than a few steps away from the game board and she certainly couldn't get around to the side window to see his board. She took a deep steadying breath. "So I guess knockoff Jigsaw agrees with you. I won't be able to see your puzzle." She flipped open the book, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, rather than being confined to a very small space. Edward's situation was far more urgent. "First panel," she said. "What is it?"

"Four buttons, Top left is a loopdey loo, top right is a k with a backwards k connected, kind of like an x with a line straight up and down the middle, bottom left is two sideways M's and the bottom right is a space invader pushing a wall." He explained.

Kristen frowned, looking down at the entry in the book for the first panel. "It … looks like there's multiple solutions for each panel." She read out the three solutions listed for the first one. "Is there … anything over there to indicate which one to choose?"

"No. I g-guess you'll have to find the option c-closest to what mine looks like. Is there's pictures? Come on Kristen, follow the instructions!" He said looking around the room a moment, panic starting to set in. Maybe she couldn't help him. But he couldn't let that doubt take hold, she was all he had. "You're smart Kristen, you can do this! Just think of it like one of my riddles! You solve those all the time. Don't panic and focus on what to do."

"Right," Kristen took a deep breath. They would never get out of this if they both panicked, and Edward was in the most peril. She had to stay calm. "Try this one…" She read off the sequence that seemed to correspond best with what he had described.

Edward pressed the buttons in the order she said, but once he hit the second button it froze. He jumped when he heard a quiet noise behind him. The pipe in the corner started to gush water, filling the floor with water until it was just above the sole of his shoes, not yet going into them or high enough to soak through.

"That's wrong." He said. "And water's coming into the room. It's stopped but it started when I got it wrong. Again, top left is a loopdey loo. Like a lowercase hand written L." He said. "Find the one with the hand written L in the first button."

"There's three of them." Kristen said. "Wait four."

"Okay, next to it is an X with a line through it." He said.

"Two of them." Kristen said. "What's under that one?"

"A space invader pushing a wall." Edward said.

"There's still two of them. Does it have two legs or three?" She asked.

"Three."

"Okay press the Sideways MM's. Then the space invader, then the loopdey loo, and then the x with the line."

Edward did so and a green light clicked on in the corner of the panel. "Okay that one's solved." He said moving to the next one. He opened the plastic cover on the button and jumped when water started pouring in again. It came up to his ankles and he groaned in pain as the warm water touched his frozen skin.

"What's happening?" Kristen asked.

"Nothing, keep going. Large red button that says do not push." Edward said.

"Is there a case over it?" She asked frantically flipping pages.

"Yes," He said moving his feet in the water. God it hurt so much.

"Just over the button?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Rotate the battery to an upright position."

"It is in an upright position." He said annoyed as he leaned against the wall. He felt like his body was slowly giving out. He wished he knew what time it was but didn't dare distract her.

"Okay hold on." She said flipping pages again. "Okay press the battery in."

He did so and the green light turned on.

They managed to get through six more panels, the water reaching up to his waist from their mistakes. "Kristen. We need to go faster." He said hitting a button on one of the panels by accident and the room filled a little more. "One more panel and you still need to solve your side … I feel like I'm going to pass out." He said, feeling tired but forcing himself to stay awake. "Come on …. One more panel."

"No passing out," Kristen said sharply. "Stay with me. Okay, describe the last panel to me."

"It's two orange plastic strips, they can move either way … There's a switch on the side and three lights on the bottom."

"Are any of the lights on?" She asked looking for the puzzle again.

"Two. One red one orange the other one is off." He said, he stood there waiting for the answer, resting his head on the panel.

"EDWARD!" He jumped, realizing he'd fallen asleep still standing against the board. "I have the answer wake up!" She screamed.

He nodded. "Sorry." He said.

"Slide the right orange one to the left, the third light should come on."

"Done." He said.

"Okay now twist the other one to the right." She said before he did it. "WAIT LEFT … Turn it left." She said as more water came in.

He shooked his head. "Done … Solve yours." He said hearing a clinking from her end. By the sounds of it the bars were raising.

Kristen let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she were suddenly able to breathe as the bars started to retract. She quickly set about solving her own puzzle board, able to move much more quickly since she could actually see what she was working with.

Within minutes Kristen solved half her board but Edward was up to his chin in burning water, his head still freezing.

"KRISTEN!" Edward heard Jim as he burst into the door, three cops behind him, lights flashing from the entrance of the door, if Edward were fully coherent he'd know it was an ambulance, but he found he couldn't even think anymore.

'You're going to die. You shouldn't have trusted her.' That damn hallucination was back, leaning against the wall, the water clearly not an issue for him.

"Shut up." He said angrily trying to clear his mind. What was going on? Right … Room … Puzzle … Trapped … Tired … He wanted to sleep more than anything, wanted the burning pain to stop. He sputtered as more water came into the room, making him have to try to swim to keep on the surface. "KRISTEN!" He sputtered.

"I've got it!" Kristen shouted, finishing another panel on her board, the squares lighting up. "Just hang in there. I'll get you out…" She looked over at the window.

"Jim," Kristen said quickly, as he ran in. "The puzzle's supposed to unlock the door, but see if you can break him out while I work on it."

Jim already had his gun out and shot at the window, the bullets barely even scratching the surface. He turned to the three that had come with him. "Find some way to break this down, we need to get him or that water out of there." He said before looking at Kristen. "Keep at it, I'm going to try to get to his door." He said leaving the room. Time was of the essence. He got on his radio messaging the situation to Bullock who was on his way there.

"Kristen …" Edward said his arms and his legs so numb he could barely keep on the surface. "If I d-don't make it out-"

"Don't say that," Kristen insisted, a shrill edge of panic shaking her voice, as she stubbornly continued working the puzzle as fast as she could. "We'll get you out. I promise."

Edward felt the water shake and looked over to see them trying to break the window down. 'They're cheating …' The hallucination said shaking his head. 'Failing … But cheating.'

He gasped as more water started coming in bringing him closer to the ceiling. He only had two feet left before it filled fully. "Stop getting them wrong Kristen!" He said choking as he slipped under the water. When he came back up he felt like the air was even colder than before.

"I'm not!" Kristen said, trying to keep calm, but her eyes teared up as she entered in the next sequence as quickly as she could. Since she could actually see what she was doing, she'd been getting the panels to light up without error, but it didn't seem to be making a difference. "I don't know why the water's still coming in."

Edward's hands touched the ceiling as the water started coming in continuously, his wet hands sticking to the frozen metal before he peeled them off again. He had a foot left.

Jim came back into the room. "It's no good, you have to solve the puzzle." He said feeling useless in this as he came up to the puzzle board. There had to be a way.

Water was starting to pour out of the bottom two holes in the window that was near the top but not enough to make a difference. He wouldn't have much more air.

"There's just two more panels," Kristen said, her hands shaking so hard that she dropped the book. "Damn it," she hissed, bending down to snatch the book back up, flipping frantically back to find her place and enter the sequence into the second to last panel.

Edward was practically laying in the water, barely able to keep his face above the water. He had maybe a minute left before it filled fully.

"Come on!" Edward said panicking.

"Almost there!" Kristen said, punching in the final sequence on the puzzle board, the last panel lighting up … But still she heard the water coming in. "Wait, no," she hissed. She'd finished the puzzle … What else did she have to do? Looking down to the side, she saw three levers. One was blue, one red, one yellow.

"There's three levers!" she shouted. "Red, blue, and yellow! Which one do I pull?" She flipped frantically through the book, looking for anything about the levers, but it seemed to only deal with the puzzle boards.

"Pick one." Jim said watching as Ed was about to run out of room.

'Which one?' The hallucination asked. 'Tic tac tic tac.' He said standing on the floor under the water, tapping his watch.

"BLUE!" Edward yelled before he had no more room and the water reached the top. He started struggling as he slowly sank down, unable to breath and having nowhere to go. His lungs burned, and his head spun. His vision blurred, and the edges turned black.

He was going to die, and what scared him the most was the thought of Kristen raising his son alone … That he wouldn't be able to be with them.

'If she even bothers raising him.' The hallucination said into his ear as he struggled. 'He'll be alone … You trusted her and she failed, what makes you think you can trust her with him?' The black around the edges of his vision got larger and larger, his body struggling and flailing in the water, as if that would help him, until he fell unconscious, his body sinking towards the floor.

Kristen grabbed the blue lever and pulled. She heard a click as the door unlatched. Turning to the window, she saw Edward had already sunk halfway to the floor, his body unmoving and unresponsive. "Edward!" Kristen shouted, banging on the glass before running to open the door. Please, she couldn't lose him like this …

Jim was out the door as well, as the current from the door knocked the three he'd brought for backup out of the hall. Jim pushed through the current the water was creating, holding onto the nooks in the wall to bring him closer to the door to Edward's prison. He got in as the water fully drained from the room and Edward lay unconscious and unbreathing on the floor.

"I NEED PARAMEDICS IN HERE NOW!" He yelled, pressing down at his chest and trying to get him to breathe.

"No…" Kristen choked out in a sob, tears running down her face. She knelt down on the other side of Edward, trying to stay out of Jim's way, and took his hand, which felt freezing to the touch. "Come on, Edward," she whispered desperately. She hadn't been fast enough, hadn't been smart enough … But she'd been so close. He had to make it. He just had to.

The paramedics came in, and Jim immediately moved out of the way. They took over, trying to get him to breath as they started other tests on him as well.

"Heart beat is faint." He said. "We're going to lose him if we don't get him breathing." The man performing CPR on him didn't even break the pattern as he compressed Edward's chest over and over again. A few moments later Edward's entire body seemed to spasm, water coming out of his mouth as he coughed. They turned him onto his side so that he didn't choke. "We need to get him out of the cold." He said to the other paramedic there.

Kristen nodded, relief washing over her. She knew Edward wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least he was breathing. She got out of the way so that the paramedics could move him. "Thank you," she said, looking up at Jim gratefully. "I'll go to the hospital with him, and keep you posted." No doubt when Edward was safe and conscious, Jim would want to ask him a few questions to try to identify the bastard who had done this.

"Holy shit, what the hell." Jim looked up at Bullock who appeared in the doorway but moved out of the way when two people brought a stretcher in. "Who the hell would target Ed?" He asked, wondering what the man did to piss someone off. Most likely annoyed the wrong person at worst ….

"Not now Harv. We'll worry about that once Ed's safe." Jim said as they lifted Ed painfully into the plastic stretcher.

Edward looked like he was barely conscious but he looked at Kristen. "You did it …" He said weakly.

Kristen took Edward's hand in hers, relieved to see him at least somewhat awake. "I should have been faster," she said quietly. But at least it looked like he was going to be okay.

Edward looked like he wanted to respond but was unable to stay awake and passed out once again. They removed him from the room, carrying him out on the plastic stretcher and brought him outside. It was cool out, but definitely much warmer than that freezer was.

Kristen followed the paramedics out, determined to stay with Edward, to be there the next time he woke up.

They quickly set about removing his clothing as another paramedic pulled an actual stretcher from the ambulance and brought some blankets over. They removed his wet clothing, and wrapped blankets around him.

Back in the room, Jim was looking around and spotted the soaking wet tape recorder. He handed it to Bullock who put it in an evidence bag.

"Hey Jim." Harvey said moving to the middle of the room. He picked up a metal key that was on the floor and held it up.

"A key?" Jim asked taking the key. He closed the door, the locks falling into place.

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Harvey asked, not wanting to be next in the puzzle. Jim shoved the key into the lock and twisted, the door clicking open.

"He had a key the entire time …" Jim said. "Why couldn't he see it? It was right in the middle of the floor."

Harvey shook his head, staring dumbfounded at the key. "I don't know … Ed's usually detail-oriented to a fault. How could he not have noticed that?"

"Kristen said he was hypothermic by the time she got there. Maybe he wasn't thinking clearly?" Jim asked putting the key in another evidence bag. "We'll have to ask him when he's better." He said as the forensics team came into the room. They left through the hall door as Ed was being lifted into the ambulance. "Did you notice he was wearing a GCPD jacket?" He asked Harvey. "He doesn't have access to those anymore … How did he get it?"

Harvey frowned darkly. "You don't think the perp could have had one, do you? I mean, yeah Ed can be an irritating pain in the ass, but … who could he have pissed off enough to go after him when he'd already been fired?"

"Maybe they didn't do anything to him before because he worked for the GCPD." Jim said. "He was our best forensics officer … It would have, and did, hurt us to lose him."

"Maybe," Harvey said, shaking his head. "I mean if he annoyed even me with my saintly patience," he said, a slight note of sarcasm in his voice. "I guess he could have pissed off someone else enough to do this … And right now it sounds like the best lead we've got. I mean, his ex and her charming boyfriend may have enough of a grudge, but … I'd say this level of planning and creativity is beyond them."

"Yeah they didn't look like the most intelligent bunch." He said shaking his head.

(A/N - Yes, we ripped off keep talking an nobody explodes. So sue me. We felt it fit. lol. - please leave a review!)


	41. Chapter 41

"Stop pacing," Deidre said. "You're making me dizzy."

Kristen forced herself to stop walking restlessly around the waiting room. They wouldn't let her in to see Edward until he was in stable condition, and when she'd called Deidre to let her know what had happened, she had insisted on rushing over to wait with her. Which was just as well… She'd been driving herself crazy with nothing but bad coffee and vapid magazines to distract her from her thoughts. She had also given Ben and Marian a call to let them know the situation. She was still shaken up about the whole thing. Everything about what had happened felt entirely unreal.

"Will you relax. He's here now, he'll be fine. He's a tough guy. Just look at what he's survived in the past." She said knowing Kristen knew what she was talking about. Deidre didn't know the story behind Ed's scars, and she wasn't going to push the matter and hadn't even asked, but the one on his chest was clearly near fatal. And he'd survived.

"I know," Kristen sighed, sitting down next to Deidre. "But he's been missing for two weeks. I didn't know where he was or if he was even alive. And now that I know where he is, not being able to see him is driving me crazy."

"I know … In case you've forgotten I was right there with you." She said putting her hand on her shoulder. "But at least you know where he is now, and that he is being taken care of. Have that piece of mind at the least." She said rubbing her back gently. It was nearing 1:30PM, she had arrived at the hospital at nine thirty, half an hour after Kristen and Ed had. Four and a half hours and they still hadn't even heard anything.

"Miss. Kringle?" Deidre looked up at the nurse that called her name. God, she hoped it was good news, but the look on the nurse's face told nothing.

"Yes?" Kristen asked, standing up shakily and moving over to the nurse.

"How are you in relation to Mr. Nygma?" The nurse asked.

"She's his fiance." Deidre said. "I'm his sister." She said confidently. The nurse looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"How is he?" Kristen asked anxiously, not responding to either Deidre's claim or the nurse's dubious glance. "What's his condition?"

"I'm not at liberty to say, but you can go and see him now. The doctor will have more details and he'll go over those with you." She said leading them down the hall to Edward's room.

Kristen followed the nurse down the hall, wishing she would walk faster, until they arrived. Kristen peered into the room quietly, not knowing what to expect, whether Edward would be asleep or awake.

Edward lay quietly in bed, his eyes closed as they came into the room. He laid on his side, his fingers covered in bandages.

She winced when she saw the bandages. That made sense … In all likelihood, he would probably have some pretty nasty frostbite on top of everything else. Kristen went over and sat down on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on Edward's shoulder.

Edward jumped slightly and opened his eyes to look up at her. He looked horrible, and exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days. "Hey." He said tiredly, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Hey," Kristen said, leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got stuck in a freezer and almost drowned to death." He said shifting slightly on the bed. "I'm sore." He said closing his eyes again, though he remained awake.

"That makes sense," Kristen said quietly, running her hand soothingly over Edward's back. "I'm glad you're safe at least, though."

"Is Rubix okay?" He asked. He wondered who had taken care of him while he was gone. "Also … How …" He was scared to ask. "How long was I gone?" He asked.

"Two weeks," Kristen said. "Rubix is okay, but … He misses you. He'll be glad when you come home. I've been looking after him for the most part, but he's with Ben and Marian right now."

"Thank you." He said quietly and yawning. The doctor came in a few moments later and Deidre stepped out of the way of the doorway.

"Good afternoon." He said cheerily. "You must be Miss. Kringle. Edward's fiance?" He asked looking at Edward. He nodded, knowing it was how Kristen got into the room. "And you are?" He asked Deidre.

"His … It's complicated." Deidre said, not bothering to lie to the doctor.

"It's okay … She can stay." Edward said.

"Well, I was going to go over everything with you, now that you're awake." He said moving to Edward's beside opposite where Kristen sat. "For the time being you'll remain in hospital for observation for the next few days." He said making Edward groan in annoyance. "Edward … Your body was put under a lot of strain. I can't, in good conscience, send you home today. Your heart had actually given out twice this morning, and we had to resuscitate you both times, successfully as I'm sure you've noticed." He said with a slight laugh, trying to put some light into the serious situation. "I have no doubt that you are in the clear, but I would still like to keep you for observations."

Kristen's eyes widened at the mention of Edward's heart giving out. "That's … probably wise," she admitted, even as reluctant as she was to wait to bring him home. "I can take care of Rubix a couple more days," she reassured him. "And maybe bring him in to visit when you're up for it … Not being able to see you has been pretty rough on him."

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, looking back up at her again. "I don't know what happened. I don't remember any of it … Except waking up in that room."

"No, don't be sorry," Kristen insisted, shaking her head. "It's not your fault this happened … I'm just glad you're going to be okay now, and I know Rubix will be too." Though it was worrisome that he didn't remember … How were they going to catch the person who had done this, if there was nothing to go off of? He could still be out there. What was to keep him from trying something like this again?

"Alright," The doctor said. "For now I think it's best that Mr. Nygma get some sleep." He said putting the clip board he was holding onto the holder at the end of his bed. "Miss. Kringle, I suggest you go home and do the same. Let his son know his father is okay. You can bring him by tomorrow to see him. I'm sure he'll be up for it then, but let him know that his daddy is hurt, and that he needs to be careful." He said turning to Ed. "I don't want you straining yourself, so if you need help, you use that call button." He said, knowing that Ed had already tried to get out of bed once in the past hour.

"I…" Kristen started to protest, but then looked down at Edward again. The doctor was right … He clearly needed to get some rest, even if she didn't want to leave him right now. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. She was tired too, truth be told, and knew she would sleep better knowing that Edward was alright.

"Come on Kris." Deidre said. "We'll go grab Rubix, I'll stay with you tonight again." She said. "We'll both come visit tomorrow. I'm sure Rubix will be excited to see Ed again." She said waiting for the doctor to leave. Once he left she approached the bed and took Ed's hand. "I'm glad you're okay." She said leaning down and kissing him. Edward felt weird about it at first but then remembered the conversation they'd had before …. That all three of them were dating now … He had nearly forgotten with everything that had happened, and then shortly after they'd started dating Deidre hadn't come around much. They should remedy that.

"Get some rest," Kristen said, smoothing back Edward's hair affectionately and, once Deidre was done kissing him, leaning down and doing the same. "And listen to the doctors. Take it easy, and you'll be back home in no time, okay?"

He nodded slowly, too tired to even argue. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then." He said.

"Alright," Kristen said softly. Edward looked like what little energy he had was already fading. She pulled Edward's cell phone out of her purse and set it on the bedside table, within easy reach. "If you need anything, at any hour, or just want to talk, call," she said.

Edward nodded, already starting to drift asleep, but the cell was within eyesight and within reach. He'd know what to do when he saw it. He'd know why she'd put it there.

She looked down at Edward for a moment longer, reluctant to leave. She wondered if he knew how worried she'd been, how relieved she was that he was safe now… Quietly, so as not to disturb him, she stood up and walked to the door.


	42. Chapter 42

Deidre was in the kitchen making spaghetti (the only thing she really knew how to make), as Rubix ran around the upstairs of the apartment yelling.

"GONNA SEE DADA! GONNA SEE DADA!" Over and over again, flying his transformer around the room like an airplane. He'd been going for almost forty five minutes straight and despite getting on Deidre's nerves at this point, she couldn't blame the kid for being excited. She was relieved to find that Edward was alright as much as he was.

"Well," Deidre said to Kristen. "At least he'll sleep good tonight." She said pouring the noodles into the strainer.

"One can hope," Kristen agreed, as she got out plates from the cabinets and started setting the table. Though if he stayed this excited, she wasn't sure she could count on that. Still, she definitely preferred it to how sad and mopey Rubix had been over the past couple of weeks.

Deidre finished making supper as Rubix ran head first into the leg of the table. He landed on his butt and looked up at Kristen a moment before he started crying.

Kristen quickly put down the plates and bent down to pick up Rubix. "It's okay, Rubix," she said gently, looking closely at where he'd hit his head. "You're alright. Let's try not to run around the house so much, okay?"

Rubix clinged to her neck as she picked him up, crying more because he was startled than from being hurt, though the bump on his head did throb a bit.

Deidre put supper on the table before she came up and rubbed Rubix's back. "Hey it's okay. You're going to see your dada tomorrow at the hospital remember?" She asked. "You're going to be big and strong for him right?"

Rubix sniffled as he tried to stop crying, but looked at Deidre over his arm from where he clung to Kristen. "Y-yeah." He said sniffling.

"Your daddy will be so happy to see you," Kristen told him, kissing him on the forehead before setting him down in his chair. "He's missed you a lot too."

"Then why didn't he come home then?" Rubix asked rubbing his eyes as he moved to kneel on his chair.

"He's at the hospital," Kristen said, moving the chair closer to the table so it would be easier for him to reach, and then dishing out spaghetti onto his plate. "The doctor says he needs to stay there for a couple of days until he gets better, and then he can come home."

"But afore … Afore the ospital … Why he not come home if he missed us?" He asked picking up his plastic children's fork and attempting to eat the spaghetti on his own.

"Because …" Kristen took a deep breath, carefully considering what to say. She didn't want to scare Rubix, but she needed him to understand that it wasn't Edward's fault, that he hadn't intentionally abandoned him. "A bad guy wouldn't let him. But he's safe now, and he'll come home as soon as the doctor says he's better."

"A bad guy took dada?" Rubix asked. "Why?" He asked, confused as to why any bad man would want to hurt his dad. His dad was very nice, and giving, and caring and he couldn't fathom why anyone would want to put him in the hospital.

"I don't know," Kristen said quietly. "But Jim is a policeman, so he's going to figure it out."

"Oh." He said looking at his food before looking up at her again. "Jimjim going to find the bad man?" He asked.

"I think that's enough questions little man." Deidre said. "It's time for you to eat up." She said taking some sauce on her finger and putting it onto his nose making him squirm and laugh.

"Noooooo." He said rubbing it off with his sleeve.

"No?" Kristen laughed. "You don't want your spaghetti? Should I eat it then?"

"Nooooo." He said picking up his fork again. He dug into his food when the phone rang.

Kristen glanced at the caller ID on her phone and then quickly picked it up. "Hi, Edward," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Still sore and tired but I'm fine." He said quietly.

"Dada on a phone?!" Rubix asked excitedly.

Kristen smiled. "I think Rubix wants to talk to you," she said.

Rubix took the phone before she was halfway to handing it to him and held it up to his ear in his small hand. "DADA?!" He asked loudly.

Edward winced and pulled the phone away from his ear. "Hey bud." Edward said quietly. "You being good?"

"Yeah dada! You all gone be kay?" He asked.

"Try not to be too loud on the phone, Rubix," Kristen said gently. "You'll hurt daddy's ear." But she couldn't fault him for his excitement. It was sweet that the first thing he asked was if Edward was okay.

"I'm fine bud, thank you for asking. Are you okay too?" He asked.

"Yeah. I miss you though. Kisten says I can see you tomorrow dough." He said happily. Deidre smiled softly as as Rubix chatted on the phone.

"You will. But if you're going to come see me … I need you to be good for Kristen, and eat all your greens, and go to bed with no complaint and get a good night sleep okay?" He asked.

"And then I get to see you tomorrow?" Rubix asked.

"Yeah, you get to see me tomorrow." He said.

"Ask daddy around what time we should go see him tomorrow," Kristen said, smiling slightly. She'd been meaning to ask that. She would love to get over there as soon as possible, but wanted to make sure she didn't interrupt Edward's rest. "And should we bring anything?"

"One question at a time," Deidre laughed. "He's a three-year-old, not your professional receptionist."

"Tell Kristen whenever she wants." Edward said and waited for Rubix to repeat.

"He … We can go …." He said looking at her. "Um ….. Here." He said handing her the phone suddenly nervous that they're asking him to relay messages now.

"Thank you, Rubix," Kristen said, with an amused smile as she took the phone and held it to her ear. "So, what time would you like us to come over?"

"Whenever you want." He said. "Can you bring a pair of pajama pants, a tshirt and my cell charger please?" He asked.

"I can do that," Kristen agreed. "Is there anything else?"

"Actual food?" He asked, though he knew the doctor restricted him to hospital food for the time being.

"Will they let us bring that, or are we going to have to be sneaky?" Kristen asked.

"Be sneaky." Edward said with a smirk, this amusement clear in his voice. He knew he could count on her.

"Any particular requests, or should I surprise you?" she asked, while Deidre looked at her curiously, only able to hear one half of the conversation.

"Surprise me." Edward said. "They gave me a lump of gritty mashed potatoes and a glass of ice water for supper with some half solidified jello. I don't know if they're trying to be funny … Or cruel."

Kristen winced. "Oh, that's just unacceptable," she said. "I'm sure we can remedy that."

"Thank you. Can I talk to Rubix again please?" He asked.

"Sure," Kristen said, handing the phone back to Rubix. "Your turn again, kiddo."

"Hey Rubix," Edward said. "I'm going to let you go, I'm going to get some sleep so I can get better and come home okay?" He asked.

"Okay dada."

"I love you. And tell Kristen and Deidre I love them too!" He said.

"Deeda too?" He asked.

"Yes, Deidre too." Rubix looked really confused.

"Is that allowed?" Rubix asked making Edward laugh.

"Yes, it's allowed." Edward said.

"Okay dada," He said putting the phone down. "Dada said he love me, and Kisten and Deeda too!" He said picking up the phone again. "Okay dada?" He asked, seeking approval for doing what his dad wanted.

"Yes, that was very good." He said smiling.

Kristen smiled. "Tell dada we love him too," she said softly.

"Yeah," Deidre added, staring in surprise. She hadn't really expected Edward to acknowledge her in front of the kid like that, not yet, anyway. "Very much."

"Kay. We love you dada. See you a morrow." He said handing the phone back to Kristen as the line went dead.

Kristen looked down at the phone, a little sad that the call was over, but there wasn't much left to say until tomorrow. She set the phone aside, and picked Rubix up, heading back to the table. "Let's finish eating dinner, shall we?" she said.

"Kay." Rubix said jumping off his chair and heading to the fridge. He struggled to pull it open but managed to get it open.

"What are you doing Rubix?" Deidre asked getting up and going over to the fridge as he pulled a drawer out. He pulled out a bag of green beans and went to bring them over to the table.

Kristen looked down and saw the bag of vegetables in Rubix's hand. "You want me to cook the green beans?" she asked. Far be it for her to argue if Rubix wanted to eat something healthy, but she couldn't help being surprised. The kid was unenthusiastic toward vegetables at best.

Rubix put them on his chair and climbed up, "I want geens." He said putting the bag on the table.

"Why do you want beans Rubix?" Deidre asked, after two weeks with the kid she knew it was odd.

"Dada said I can see him if I eat my geens and get lots of sleep tonight and be good boy." He said trying to open the bag. "I has no geens!"

Kristen laughed, taking the bag from him. "You really are a good boy," she said. "But I'll have to cook these first … And you have to promise me that if I cook them, you'll actually eat them. No changing your mind once they're on your plate."

"But I get to see Dada tomorrow right?" He asked looking up at her.

"Rubix." Deidre said running her hand through his hair as she sat back down. "We're going to take you to see your dad tomorrow anyway, whether you eat your greens or not. But if you're concerned," she said pointing to his plate. "See that there, those are herbs." She said pointing to the stuff on his noodles. "Those are green." She said as Rubix looked at his plate.

"They's geen?" He asked pointing at his plate.

"Kind of," Kristen said, giving Deidre a slightly reproachful look. "Though I don't think they're enough to be what you're dad meant. Either way, Deidre's right. We're still taking you to see your dad tomorrow, no matter what."

"But you're still going to brush your teeth and put your jamjams on when it's bed time right?" Deidre asked.

"Yeah." He said digging into his spaghetti again. "Gotta get lots of sleep a night." He said shoving noodles into his mouth.

Kristen sighed. "So do you still want me to make the beans?" she asked, already pretty sure she knew the answer.

"Beans yucky." He said not actually wanting the beans. But he remembered he had to be a good boy. "I mean, no pease."

Kristen shook her head. "Thank you for at least being polite about it," she said, turning to put them back in the refrigerator. She would let it go tonight. Deidre's assertion that herbs counted might have been just short of bullshit, but at least the tomato sauce technically had more vegetable servings than they could usually get him to eat.

"Deeda, I ask a kestion?" He asked.

"You can if you show me how to say question." She said.

"Kestion."

"No, it's kwest-chun." She corrected. Rubix sounded it it out a few times before he said it properly.

"I ask a question?" He asked.

"Go ahead." She said proud that he'd said it right. This parenting thing was easy.

"Why you different colour than Kisten and Dada?" He asked innocently.

"Rubix," Kristen said reproachfully. "It's … not polite to ask people about how they look," she said. Though even explaining why would be difficult to get into.

"Yeah, but I don't mind," Deidre said dismissively, waving a hand. "You've seen people out and about in the street, right? And how they're not all the same color?"

Rubix nodded. "Yeah. But Daddy tells me not to talk to strangoes so I can't ask."

"Probably not a good idea to ask strangers anyway," Deidre said, smiling wryly. "But people can look all kinds of different ways, or different colors. Usually, people are the same color as their parents, so you look like your dad, just like Kristen looks like her parents. But my mom and dad looked different from each other. My dad had lighter skin, like you and your dad and Kristen. And my mom had darker skin than me … So here I am." It wasn't exactly a comprehensive explanation of interracial relationships, but there was only so much Rubix could really understand right now.

"If you like them, why is you hair straight?" He asked pointing at her hair.

"Well, aren't you perceptive?" Deidre laughed. She didn't know if most white kids that young would even notice different hair textures, even if they got out more than Rubix did. Then again, maybe their parents just taught them earlier on not to talk about it. "I get my hair straightened," she said. "Because I like it this way."

"It's pretty." He said going back to his spaghetti which was now cold, though he didn't seem to mind.


	43. Chapter 43

Kristen yawned as she came back up the stairs after putting Rubix to bed. He had continued to be full of questions all evening. Where did the water go when it went down the drain? Did animals take baths? Why? Why did the prince need a shoe to recognize Cinderella? How early would he get to see his dad tomorrow? … Finally, she had gotten him to stop asking questions for tonight and go to sleep.

She shook her head as she emerged from the trapdoor. "Sorry that took awhile," she said. "He's going through his inquisitive phase."

"Please, have you met his father? It's not a phase." Deidre said laughing quietly as Kristen closed the trapdoor. She was changed into her pajamas which consisted of more skin than material. A loose tank top and a pair of shorts that barely covered her ass. She approached Kristen and put her arms around her waist. "You're still so tense. Relax … Everything's going to be fine." She said kissing her softly.

Kristen leaned into Deidre's kiss for a moment, comforted by her familiar touch, before she sighed and pulled away slightly. "I know, it's just … I wish he were home already, and we still don't even know who did this."

"We'll figure it out. He'll be caught." Deidre said though she sounded unsure of it. "Come on." She said taking her hands and leading her to the bed. "We should get some sleep."

"You're right," Kristen said, smiling tiredly, following her to bed. She yawned. "When did you get to be the sensible one?"

"When our boyfriend went missing and we were left to take care of his child?" She asked more than said as she climbed into bed.

"True," Kristen said, climbing into bed with her and pulling the covers up over them. "Thanks for keeping me sane through all of this."

"GONNA SEE DADA! GONNA SEE DADA!" Rubix was back to chanting again the entire ride to the hospital.

"Rubix … Once we get out of the car, you're going to have to be quiet okay?" Deidre said turning in her seat to look at him. "Your dada is probably tired, so you're going to have to be quiet, and be very gentle."

"Like with Puzzoos?" Rubix asked.

"Yes, like with Puzzles." Deidre said nodding.

Kristen couldn't help noticing how good Deidre was getting at this parenting thing. Even if her definition of vegetables was a little faulty. "We're almost there," she said, as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"DADA!" Rubix yelled craning his neck trying to see outside the car window.

"He's in that big building," Kristen said, pulling into a parking space. "You'll have to be quiet once we go in, like Deidre said. There's other people in there who are hurt or sick, and we need to be careful not to bother them." She brought the car to a stop and got out, going to get Rubix out of his carseat in the back.

"Okay. Shhhhhhh." He said with his finger to his mouth, telling her to be quiet too. He held onto Kristen's neck as she carried him into the large building. They walked to an elevator and went up to the second floor before going down to Ed's room.

Kristen tapped lightly at the door, before pushing it open slightly. "Edward," she said quietly, not wanting to disturb him if he was still sleeping. "Are you awake?"

Edward was tired, it was early but he looked towards the door still unable to see them past the curtain. "Mhmm." He said tiredly.

Kristen walked in, carrying Rubix, Deidre following behind them and going to push back the curtain as they approached the bed.

"Hey, there," Deidre said. "How are you holding up?"

"Dada!" Rubix said a bit loudly before he paused and looked at his dad. "Shhhh!" He said with his finger against his mouth.

Edward smiled up at them as they came in. "Yes, shhh." Edward said, without the finger. "I'm fine … Just tired. Ready to go home but they seem to think I need to stay another night."

"I don't know," Kristen sighed, as Rubix tried to wiggle out of her arms to get to Edward. "At this point, I think you might be able to rest better at home." She looked down at Rubix as they sat down at Edward's bedside. "Remember," she cautioned him. "Be gentle, like with Puzzles."

Rubix knelt on the edge of the bed next to his dad, careful not to touch him. "Dada boo boo?" He asked pointing at the bandages on Edward's fingers.

"Yeah, I got a boo boo." He said, gently pulling Rubix into a hug.

Kristen leaned in and kissed Edward on the cheek. "But you look like you're doing much better already," she said, relieved. Even as exhausted as he still looked, he seemed to be in significantly better shape than yesterday.

"I've seen you look better, though," Deidre said.

"Yeah, I'd like to say I've been worse but …" He said carefully ruffling Rubix's hair.

"But you're safe now," Kristen said firmly.

"Yeah," Deidre said, touching Edward's arm playfully. "If anyone else wants to get to you, they'll have to go through us."

"Yeah dada! Through us!" He said holding his hands up as if he were flexing. Edward laughed and poked him in the belly making him deflate and laugh, lying on the bed next to him and making Edward groan when he hit his ribs accidentally.

"Careful there, Rubix," Kristen said, gently moving Rubix away from Edward's ribs. "Remember, you have to be gentle with Daddy today."

"Sowwy dada!" He said gently leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

"It's okay." Edward said. "Hey Deidre. Why don't you take Rubix down to the cafeteria … I hear they have pumpkin pie cups with whipped cream."

"PUNKIN!" Rubix yelled and bounced on the bed making Edward groan again. "Sowwy dada!" He said stilling himself but turning towards Deidre. "Punkin? Pease?" He asked.

"Alright, alright," Deidre laughed, taking Rubix's hand. "Since you said please."

"Speaking of food…" Kristen said, as Rubix and Deidre headed out. "I snuck something in for you." She pulled out a bag of homemade pastries from the little coffee shop they liked. "I think the lady undercharged me. She said she hopes you're feeling better soon."

"W-why?" Edward asked confused. "Did you tell her about me?" He asked, not understanding why some woman would care if he was okay or not.

"Apparently, they recognize their regular customers," she said with a shrug. "I mentioned you were in the hospital, and I guess she was concerned."

"Oh," he said, realizing what bakery she was talking about. "Well, I'll be sure to thank her the next time I'm in there." He said.

"Has Jim come by to ask about what happened?" she asked quietly.

"This morning." He said. "He left about an hour ago. I didn't tell him anything." He said quietly, knowing she would question him on why. "Said I don't remember."

Kristen frowned. "But … do you remember?" Why would Edward keep anything back from Jim if it might help?

"Not really no." He said shaking his head but looked up at her, his hand moving to take hers. "But I have a riddle for you, Kristen …" He said. "One that's been bothering me since I woke up this morning."

"And … what riddle might that be?" Kristen asked uneasily.

"How did I know it was the blue lever?" Edward asked, his eyes never leaving hers.

Kristen stared back at him. "I … I don't know." She hadn't thought to ask at the time. She'd been too concerned with getting him out of there. "I just … Assumed there was some kind of logic behind it that you figured out really quickly. Is … is that not what happened?"

"No …." Edward said. "There was no indication which switch to pull." He said, wondering if she'd make the same conclusion he did.

"You … had no indication," Kristen repeated. "So you just knew subconsciously somehow?" She was quiet for a moment. "And … you have a massive gap in your memory," she added. She stared back at him. "Edward," she said very quietly. "You don't think … I mean, you're not telling me that …"

"Who do you know that's obsessed with puzzles, and constantly testing people's intelligence?" He asked, letting go of her hand. "I don't know why … Or how … But …. I think I did it."

"But …" Kristen took a deep breath, shaking her head. "That's … They're just hallucinations, aren't they? I mean, you don't really think … You don't …" Kristen couldn't finish the thought. It was too terrifying.

"I don't know what I think anymore …" He said quietly and groaned as he shifted onto his side. "I don't know what to do anymore." He said. "I figured it was me when I looked back and thought about the tests. It was for both me and you … Remember what the tape said? "Here's the riddle. Do you win or lose?" The riddle wasn't the previous message at all like I had assumed, the riddle was simply that. Do I win, or lose?" He said staring at the wall in front of him. "Jim told me there was a key on the floor, right in the middle of the room, in front of where I had woken up. It was covered in ice so I couldn't see it … Had I lost … Even just once … And not been so focused on solving that damn puzzle … I would have seen it once the water melted the ice. The water wouldn't have even touched my skin, had I seen it." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he sounded terrified. If he was capable of this without his knowledge … If he did this out of his control … What else would he do?

Kristen took hold of Edward's hand, though her own was shaking. This was so far beyond anything she knew how to deal with. It felt like every time things started to settle down from one crisis, everything just got crazier. This wasn't Edward's fault. He hadn't signed on for this any more than she had. But how were they going to continue to keep Rubix safe, not to mention themselves and Deidre, if something like this was possible? She was scared. And she could see in Edward's eyes that he was scared too.

"I think," she said quietly, looking back at him. "That we need to consider getting help."

Edward laughed almost bitterly. "Kristen, if we tell anyone that this was me they'd have me locked up in Arkham … They'd take Rubix away … Who knows how much farther they would take that. What if they look into other things I 'could' have done … Connect me to Daugherty, or my father … I'm sure he's been reported missing by now …" He pulled his hand out of hers and rubbed his hands over his face. He didn't know what to do. "I'm sure Jim already has his suspicions after he saw Mr. Penguin at my apartment."

"There has to be something we can do, someone who can help us figure this out, without that happening," Kristen insisted. "Maybe … Maybe Lee could help." Though she was reluctant to tell even her. Because if she figured out about Ed's father or Daugherty … she was too close to Jim. Confidentiality would only go so far.

"I don't want Lee involved in this." He said, not looking at her. "I … I'll go for help … Let them lock me up. What ever they find ... " He paused, he'd be locked up for life. "I'll transfer guardianship of Rubix to Ben and Marian … And …" He paused, unable to look at her, his eyes watering. "I want you and Deidre to stay as far away from me as possible …"

"No!" Kristen said fiercely, taking Edward's hand in hers again, tears springing to her eyes. "That is completely out of the question. This isn't your fault, Edward. We need to find someone who will help you, not lock you away and make things worse! You would never hurt Rubix, you know that. And Deidre and I are adults; we can look out for ourselves. I'm not going to stay away from you. That's just not going to happen."

"Kristen … I promised you before that I would never hurt you again. And I did. I promised you I'd never scare you again. And I did. I promised you that I would never confine you again …. And I did." He said. "It's the only promise I ever made to you, and I broke that." He said tears starting to stream down his cheeks as he spoke. "I didn't want to hurt you … And I don't want to … I don't want to risk it. If I ever did anything to you I …." He said stopping as he couldn't even fathom what he would do. "Or Rubix … You say I'd never hurt him, but I never thought I'd do something like this either! Who's to say I don't have another black out? Hmm? Wake up and find all three of you dead? I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Out of my control or not ..."

"That's not going to happen," Kristen insisted, clinging to Edward's hand tighter. "That … That doesn't seem to be how this … other you operates, anyway. There has to be a better way that doesn't involve ruining the rest of your life like this!"

"In comparison to ruining yours … And Deidre's … And possibly Rubix's … You all deserve better than this. How are we going to raise Rubix like this? When I could snap at any moment? I don't even know what this is. You say 'other me' like I'm a different person. It is me ..."

"There has to be a better way," Kristen insisted. "Maybe it's a part of you, but this isn't your fault! You deserve better too! Deidre and I deserve to decide for ourselves what's best for us! And Rubix deserves to have his father!" She shook her head. "Just … Don't do anything rash and permanent. We can figure out another way to get help for you without just giving up and throwing everything away!"

Edward moved onto his back again, his head back against the pillow. "I'm just …" He said using his wrist to dry the tears off of his face despite the fact that he was still crying. "I'm scared …" He said, unable to describe exactly how he felt about all this.

"I know," Kristen said, hugging him gently, careful to avoid bumping his ribs. She was terrified … And that was just from her end of the situation. She couldn't even imagine what Edward must be going through. She ran her fingers lightly through his hair. "But we're going to find a way to make this okay. It's … it's going to be alright."

Edward hugged her, not really caring if he hurt his ribs. He was grateful for her support, even if he just wanted to push her away … Perhaps not wanted but … It would be best. But at this moment he found himself too selfish to push her away. "Thank you." He said quietly.

"Dada cwying?" Edward sniffed as he looked up to see Deidre coming into the room with Rubix who was pointing at him with his plastic spoon, the half eaten cup of pumpkin pie filling in Deidre's hand.

"Should we come back in a bit?" Deidre asked. She knew they'd be happy to see each other, but they'd seen each other yesterday … Why suddenly the waterworks?

Kristen dried her tears. "It's … It's okay," she said, forcing a smile. "We … were just kind of having a moment." She glanced pointedly down at Rubix. "We'll explain later."

"Okay." Deidre said as she brought Rubix back over to the bed and handed him to Kristen, placing the pumpkin pie cup on the table next to the bed.

"Dada taste?" He asked, aiming the spoon which still had a bit of pumpkin pie filling on it towards Edward's face. Edward took it in his mouth, despite the little bit of toddler drool on it.

"Yummy." Edward said. "Thank you bud." He said playfully pinching his side. "Much better than the mushy potatoes they gave me." He said looking at his plate which was still on the tray next to him. He took some onto a fork and held it towards Rubix. "Wanna try?" He asked.

"No." Rubix said shaking his head and turning away from him.

"No?" Edward asked, "You sure?" He asked pushing it closer to his mouth and Rubix put his arm over his face, leaning back in Kristen's arms dramatically.

"Noooooo." He said as Edward pulled the fork back away from him with a smile on his face. "Opital food ucky!"

"Yeah, you got that right. Opital food ucky!" He said with a laugh, putting the fork back on the plate.

"Smart kid," Kristen agreed, smiling a little at Rubix, though she was still deeply troubled by everything Edward had said.

Kristen and Deidre stayed until later afternoon, allowing Rubix to, carefully, play with his father, and they all talked about things that weren't really important. Edward got to know Deidre better, and vice versa, and just before dinner time they decided it was time to go home and have dinner.

Edward took Kristen's hand in his as they all said their good byes. "Promise me one thing." Edward said seriously. "Tomorrow we're ordering pizza …" He said with a slight chuckle.

"Pizza yaaaaa!" Rubix shrieked, jumping in Deidre's arms. "No chovies!" He said making a yucky face.

Kristen laughed. "I promise," she said. "With whatever you want on it." She kissed him, then looked him seriously in the eyes and said, "Take care and get some rest. Tomorrow, we're getting you out of here."

"Even if it's a break out?" He asked. "Promise me!" He said pointing at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Cross my heart," Kristen said solemnly. "Tomorrow, we take you out of here, doctor's orders or not."

"We'll bust you out, don't worry," Deidre said with a grin. "If they try to stop us, it'll just make things interesting."

"See you tomorrow." He said kissing Kristen's hand and looking up at her. "Thank you." He said, knowing she would know what he was talking about.

"Any time," Kristen said quietly. She still didn't know how, but they were going to get through this together somehow. She had never been more determined about anything.


	44. Chapter 44

"DADA HOME DADA HOME DADA HOME!" Rubix yelled over and over again as he ran around the living room.

"Rubix, stop please. You're going to-" Ed paused as Rubix ran straight into the side of the bed and fell onto the floor. He was barely phased as he started running around again.

"DADA HOME DADA HOME!" He said, his transformer up in the air, stretched up in his little arm above his head.

"Alright bud, that's enough." Ben said picking him up off the floor and holding him upside down around the waist making Rubix laugh.

"Down! Down!" He said laughing as Ben tickled him. "Noooooo!"

"Uh-oh," Kristen smiled. "Looks like the Ben monster's got you."

"Should we help him?" Deidre said, crossing her arms and watching Rubix giggle. "Or just watch?"

"I told him to stop!" Ed said sitting down at the kitchen table. "It's his punishment for not listening."

"Sorry, kid," Deidre smirked, going over to sit with Edward. "Rules are rules. Next time, don't get caught."

"I don't think that's exactly what we were trying to teach him," Kristen said, nudging Deidre as she went over to the table too. "How hungry are you, Edward? Should I call out for pizza now, or wait a bit?"

"I spent two days eating powdery mashed potatoes and chunky jello … And God knows what I ate for the two weeks before that. The sooner that pizza gets here the better."

"I'm on it," she said, kissing Edward on the cheek, before getting out her phone and calling in the order. Deidre, meanwhile, started digging through her purse, and produced a stopwatch, which she started the moment Kristen had placed the order.

"Um … Deidre?" Kristen said, once she'd hung up. "Why?"

"Why what?" Deidre said, looking up from the stopwatch.

"Why the stopwatch?" Edward asked as Ben finally put Rubix down, the little monster still running around with his transformer. Ed couldn't imagine having that much energy, even at that age. Where did the kid store it all?

"Their policy claims under thirty minutes or it's free," Deidre said, her eyes narrowing at the stopwatch. "I'm holding them to it this time."

"Do places even still do that?" Marian asked. "And I thought it's an hour."

"Still on their website," Deidre said. "I checked … But then they try to weasel out of it."

Kristen sighed. "So she got into an argument about it last week …"

"Hardly. I just knew how time works, and they didn't," Deidre said firmly.

"It's not like you're the one paying for it," Kristen pointed out. For that matter, she suspected Deidre might have shoplifted the stopwatch.

"It's the principle of the thing." Deidre said placing the stopwatch on the counter.

Ben walked up to Edward and bent over to hug him. "We're so glad to have you home son, we were so worried about you. We helped as much as we could when the searches were on but … We aren't as young as we used to be."

"Ben, you're not even 50 yet and you talk like you're 80." Marian said swatting his arm.

"It was appreciated, thank you." Edward said with a soft smile.

"We're just glad you're alright now," Marian said. "This town has never been the safest place, but …" She shook her head, her expression darkening. "I don't know. Lately, it just seems like things are getting stranger and stranger."

"Oh believe me … I know." Edward said as Rubix finally calmed down, panting and out of breath.

"So you don't remember anything?" Ben asked.

"Ben!" Marian said smacking his arm again. "Don't be so insensitive!"

"I'm not! I was just wondering!" He said defensively.

"It's okay Marian. No, I don't remember anything. As far as I know, I went to bed and then woke up …" He paused as he looked down at Rubix. "There." He finished.

Kristen gave Edward's hand a gentle squeeze. "And now you're here," she added quietly. They still had to figure out what they could do to prevent something like that from happening in the future. But Edward was safely here with them for now.

When pizza finally arrived Deidre was honestly shocked at how many slices Ed ate.

"It's a good thing you bought so much." Deidre joked as Rubix tried to fit more pizza into his mouth than could actually fit.

"Slow down, there, Rubix," Kristen laughed, taking a napkin and wiping pizza sauce off of the toddler's face. "You don't have to eat it so fast; it's not going to run away."

"IS GOOD THO!" He said his mouth full of food.

"Rubix, don't talk with your mouth full please." Edward said as he picked up his plate and stood to bring it to the sink. Before he stood all the way though the room span and he sat back down, staring at the table, his fingers going to his head.

Kristen put a steadying hand on Edward's shoulder, looking at him in alarm. "Edward?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine." He said putting his hand back down. "I just … Stood too quickly I guess." He said as Rubix looked at his dad concerned. Rubix climbed down from his chair and pulled Edward's plate down with some difficulty.

"I take it fo you dada!" He said.

"Hang on there, kiddo," said Deidre, standing up to go with Rubix. "Let me help you get that to the sink, okay?"

Once she was reassured that Edward was okay, Kristen got up to help clear off the table. It was telling that he didn't protest about them doing the dishes. He could definitely stand to take it easy for a while longer.

"Well, I think we should head out then. Let you get some rest, you're still recovering. Your body is still healing. You better make your way over to that bed soon young man." Ben said shaking his finger at Ed who smiled.

"Yes, sir." He said with a lazy salute.

"Hey Rubix, I got your favourite movie downstairs at my apartment. You want to go watch it?" Ben asked.

"Lion King?" Rubix asked excitedly.

"Yes, you can come sleep at our apartment tonight." He said making Rubix pause.

"But I wanna stay wit dada!" He said going back over to his dad and hugging his leg.

"I know bud, but your dada has to sleep lots and lots and get rest because he was just in the hospital. So you can come down with us and you can watch a movie and play okay?"

"No wanna play!" Rubix insisted, though they all knew that once the threat of being taken to Ben's was done he'd be tearing through the apartment again.

"Oh dear," Marian said, shaking her head sadly and looking over at Ben. "What are we going to do with that ice cream, then?"

"No want ice cream!" Rubix said, knowing exactly what they were doing.

"I know," Marian sighed. "You want to stay with your dada … But he really does need to rest now, and it will help him get better faster if you come stay with us for tonight. We'll bring you back first thing tomorrow, and your dada will be right here waiting for you."

"Rubix, they're asking you nicely. I want to spend some time with you, but I do need to rest okay? Tomorrow they'll bring you back, and then we can do puzzles or something okay?" Ed asked.

"Play hide and seek?" Rubix asked hopefully.

"Maybe not quite yet," Ed said with a chuckle, his ribs starting to hurt from sitting so long. "But we can do a puzzle book in bed or something okay? Maybe play a video game for a little bit."

"We'll take care of dada and make sure he gets plenty of rest," Kristen promised, ruffling Rubix's hair. "And then tomorrow you can come back and play, okay?"

Marian took Rubix's hand, and she and Ben made their way to the door.

"But I wanna stay with Dada!" He said starting to cry as he made his way towards the door with Marian holding firmly onto his hand.

Kristen winced at seeing Rubix cry. She understood … Edward had been gone for over two weeks, leaving Rubix with no idea when he was coming back, and only Kristen's word that he was returning at all, and that he hadn't just abandoned him. Then Edward had been hurt and in the hospital … It was all too much for a toddler's patience to withstand. Edward needed his rest, but … They would have to be sure to come get Rubix bright and early tomorrow. He was bound to be a handful for Ben and Marian.

"I know," Kristen said. "We'll come get you first thing tomorrow, though, I promise." Then she quietly thanked Ben and Marian as they left.

Edward sighed as he stood from his chair, pausing as the room spun again before heading over towards the bed. "Thank you." He said quietly. "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble."

"Nah," Deidre reassured him. "You don't move around enough to be trouble." She looked over at him on the bed. "Do you want us to tuck you in?"

"Are you patronizing me?" He asked looking up at her with a raised eyebrow, not sure if she was teasing him or not.

"Maybe just a little bit," Deidre said, smirking slightly. "But you've got to admit, you could use a little looking after."

"Don't mind her," Kristen said. "That's just how she shows that she cares."

"Yeah, why don't you get the salt out next, rub it in a bit more." He said standing up again to move to the dresser. He pulled out a pair of his pajama pants and sat back down on the bed again. "Sorry I'm just …" He paused in his apology, realizing he was being a bit snippy and neither of them deserved that. He was just so frustrated with everything.

Deidre shook her head. "You've been through hell, and things aren't going back to normal as quickly as you'd like them to. You're allowed to be irritable about it."

"Hopefully getting a good night's sleep in your own bed will help," Kristen said, kissing him on the cheek.

"Yeah …" Ed said quietly. "Did you uh … Did you talk to her?" He asked Kristen, knowing she would know what he was talking about.

"Um … No, I haven't had a chance to yet," Kristen said. And she hadn't been certain whether Edward wanted her to try to tell Deidre just yet, or whether he wanted to be there to try to explain it.

"Talk about what?" Deidre said, looking from Kristen to Edward. "Am I missing something?"

"Are you staying here, or going back to your apartment tonight?" Edward asked, ignoring Deidre's questions.

"Up to you," Deidre said. "If you don't mind, I'll stick around. But if you'd rather have some time just the two of you, I'll head out."

"Kristen?" Edward asked, looking up at her.

"I'd rather stay," Kristen said honestly. Not that she doubted Edward's ability to take care of himself, but he still seemed pretty light-headed, and she didn't want to leave him alone.

"Then perhaps we should talk then." He said taking his pants off and changing into his pajama pants. It wasn't as if either of them haven't seen him before, though he felt a bit weird changing in front of Deidre. He pulled his shirt off until he only had his undershirt on, and tossed his shirt into the hamper.

"You two keep saying that," Deidre said, crossing her arms. "Am I in trouble for something?"

"No." Edward said moving to sit against the headboard. "I am, if anyone is."

"That's not cryptic at all," Deidre said, but seeing the serious look on Edward's face, her manner became a little less flippant, and she settled back in her chair, listening to hear what they had to say.

Kristen took a deep breath, trying to order her thoughts. "Edward … thinks he knows who was responsible for all of this," she said.

"Who?" Deidre leaned forward. "Have you gone to Jim with this yet?"

"No." Edward said. "And I don't think I know who it was …. It's the only reasonable explanation. There was no struggle to get me out of here, and there were no fingerprints located anywhere on site. The only few they could pull were mine. There were two on the cage that came down around you, which they're saying isn't too unusual, 'he' may have kept me there leading up to the 'main event' so to speak … And the ones that weren't washed away in the freezer. What other explanation could there be? There was no one else there but me!" He said sounding upset the more he talked.

"Woah, hang on," Deidre said, holding up a hand. "You're telling me you kidnapped yourself? I mean, that's the conclusion you come to? Not that, I don't know, the kidnapper was wearing gloves, or got you after you wandered out of the apartment, or … A million other explanations that make more sense than that?"

"I've been having hallucinations for months now Deidre." Edward said. "They've been getting worse. I don't know what's causing them, but I think what happened was a part of it." He said sounding scared. "I knew things about the puzzle that I shouldn't have … As if I already knew the answers. Near the end when the room was almost full …." He paused, his voice tinged with fear. "It … I …."

"Hey," Deidre said, her tone more gentle than usual. "Take a deep breath and slow down, alright? It's okay." She went over and sat on the bed next to him, on the opposite side from Kristen, and took his hand. "So … You think this was just a really bad episode?" Well. She guessed that might explain the two week-long memory gap, but … This was getting pretty messed up. And from the expression on Kristen's face, she thought Edward was right.

Edward sighed as he tried to calm down. "I don't know what it was …. And what happens if it happens again? Or it's not me that's the victim next time. I mean I honestly don't care about other people, but if it was either of you, or Rubix?" He asked banging his head back against the wall and instantly regretting it as his head swam again.

"Okay, those are valid concerns," Deidre admitted, as Kristen shot her a reproachful look while putting a steadying hand on Edward's shoulder. "What? They are," Deidre insisted, before crossing her arms and frowning in thought.

"Edward wouldn't hurt Rubix," Kristen insisted. "Even subconsciously, he wouldn't want to…"

"Yeah, and in his right mind he wouldn't kidnap himself either," Deidre said flatly. "What we need to do isn't pretend everything's fine; we need to have plans and precautions in place to keep it from happening again."

"What needs to happen is for you three to get as far away from me as possible." Edward muttered again, though he knew Kristen wouldn't agree.

"That's not going to happen," Kristen said.

"Yeah, there's no way Kristen would let me drag her away," Deidre acknowledged. "So let's just rule that out as a possible course of action for now, shall we? Besides, you fought so hard for Rubix … He's here now."

"So what? We just make a plan and hope for the best? That sounds dangerous to me." Edward said shaking his head.

"It is dangerous," Deidre said. "Life usually is. But since running away from this isn't an option, and neither is waving a magic wand and making … whatever this is go away, we're going to figure out how to play the cards we've been dealt here."

"We're not experts in this kind of thing," Kristen said quietly, looking down at the bed. "None of us are … Where would we even begin to plan for this?"

"So since neither of you seem to like my plan, what do you propose we do then?" He asked.

"We keep an eye on you," Deidre said firmly. "Which, admittedly, will be easier said than done, since last time you walked out in the middle of the night. But we figure out what signs to look for, and we keep aware enough to recognize them. Kristen and I have both seen you when you were having a more minor episode."

"I've never seen anything quite like what happened this time, though," Kristen said quietly.

"No," Deidre agreed. "So there might be different signs to look for, that we wouldn't recognize just yet."

"Did you notice anything off the night before I left?" Edward asked looking at Kristen. He doubted it, he felt fine before he'd went to bed, and he didn't even remember getting up.

Kristen thought about it, and then shook her head. "No," she said. "I don't remember anything out of the ordinary … I just woke up and you were gone."

"Yeah well … That can be a problem." Edward said shaking his head. "If you're both staying, I want both of you to keep a taser on you while you're around me." He said seriously.

"What!?" Kristen said, looking up abruptly. "Edward, you can't be serious. I'm not carrying a taser around my own boyfriend!"

"I can think of worse ideas," Deidre said matter-of-factly. "At least until we know what we're dealing with, and have a better idea of what to look for."

"At least you'd have a better chance of defending yourselves. I mean I may not be a fighter, but I'm bigger than you …." He said, though he didn't mean it to be threatening, it was a statement of fact. He could easily overpower either one of them. Together perhaps not, but by themselves …

Deidre rolled her eyes. "I can handle myself," she said confidently, but shook her head. "Kristen, on the other hand …"

"Hey!" Kristen protested.

"Look, you know he's right. It's a good idea," Deidre said softly. "Neither of us wants anything happening to you … Just the idea is clearly tearing Ed apart."

"Yes," Kristen said sarcastically. "That'll solve all our problems. I suggested getting help, and that was too risky, but keeping a taser around the house is a perfect solution! Let's say, for sake of argument, that something like that does happen again … Do you really want there to be a taser in the apartment for you to find? Do you really think that's going to end well?"

"In comparison to the kitchen knives? Or the tools in the tool box? Or the ax above the kitchen cabinet? Or the various harmful chemicals under the bathroom sink? Or-"

"Okay Ed, we get it." Deidre said.

"A taser isn't going to kill anyone, it's meant to stun, and to hurt like a bitch …" Edward said looking at Kristen. "Keep it somewhere I don't know where it is … Either on you, or when you're sleeping, in the vicinity, but don't let me see where you put it. Chances are if I'm digging for it, I'd wake you up. If I really wanted to use a weapon to hurt you, don't you think I'd go for something a bit more simple to obtain? Like a knife?" He asked, waving towards the kitchen which was only about six feet away. "Look, I know you don't like it, but it is for your protection until we figure this out …. That's going to be my one condition Kristen … The taser, or we go with my original plan, and I'll go check myself in."

"I don't like this," Kristen said quietly, shaking her head. But their options were limited right now. They didn't fully understand yet what was happening to Edward, but if he checked himself in, in Gotham … There was no telling what would happen to him, and he might still not receive the help he needed. He had to know that .. But he was so terrified of hurting her or Deidre or Rubix, that she didn't put it past him to check himself in anyway. "But …" She looked up at Edward again. "You have to promise that this isn't going to be our solution. This is a temporary measure, until we figure out something better. I can't live like that."

"I wouldn't expect you to. With any luck this doesn't even happen again." He said. "But better a taser collecting dust, than not having one when you need it." He said. "And who knows, out in Gotham, it might not even be me you'd need to use it on. I'd feel safer in general if you had one."

"Alright, fine," Kristen sighed, rubbing tiredly at her temples. "But we're not keeping this plan. We need to figure something else out."

"I think so far we've mapped out our options short of contacting Lee, and she's really close to Jim I don't feel comfortable with that. The other option would be to find a discrete psychologist, who would keep their mouth shut, but that would cost more money than I can afford, and I wouldn't trust them not to tell anyone anyway." He said. "So unless anyone else has any ideas …."

"So we start saving, and we start looking," Kristen said quietly. But she knew Edward was right … There had to be a better way, but things looked hopelessly difficult.

Deidre frowned in thought. "There has to be a reason why you did this," she said. "Even if you were having some kind of episode, it had to make sense to at least some part of you, even if it's not a part the rest of you has access to. You don't just … do something like this out of the blue. There must have been something you wanted. If we can figure out what it was … maybe there's a way to give you some kind of outlet, a way to get what you were looking for without doing something so drastic. That way, maybe we could prevent a situation like this before it starts."

"Yeah … The question is, what was I looking for?"

'You know what you were looking for.' Edward jumped and looked at the hallucination standing against the dresser, the first time since he'd seen him in that freezer. 'It's very simple … Think Eddie! You know the answer.' He said, Edward still staring at him.

"Edward?" Kristen said gently, seeing the way Edward jumped and stared off at the dresser, relentlessly focused on something she couldn't see. "Are … Are you seeing him again?"

Deidre frowned, and quietly observed Edward's face.

Edward looked at Kristen confused a moment before he shook his head. "I'm fine …" He said.

'No you're not.' The hallucination said, though he ignored it.

"Are you seeing him?" Kristen repeated, very much aware that he hadn't really answered her question.

"If you want us to be safe," Deidre pointed out. "It'll help if you tell us these things."

Edward was silent for a moment. He wanted to deny it but … They were right. "Yes." He said quietly. "He said I know what I'm looking for … But I don't …"

'Stop being an idiot Eddie … It doesn't suit you. Think!' He said making Edward close his eyes.

Kristen took Edward's hand in hers, trying to be comforting, but there was nothing she could do about the hallucination.

"So we're onto something," Deidre said, leaning forward, an intent look in her eyes. "You can figure it out," she said, certainty in her voice. "I know you can."

"Maybe." He said quietly as the hallucination shook its head and walked towards Kristen before disappearing. Edward looked around to see if it had gone somewhere else but it was gone. "It's gone …" He said with a sigh.

Kristen frowned. "But … There was something it wanted you to figure out?" she asked. "Did it say or do anything else before it disappeared? Something that might have been a clue?"

"No … Just told me to stop acting like an idiot, it doesn't suit me." He said as he slid down on the bed, resting his head back on the pillow.

"He's not terribly helpful, is he," Kristen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess we can keep thinking about it, trying to figure it out."

"Presumably this … other side of you wants you to figure it out," Deidre said. "I doubt it'll stay hidden from you for long."

"Or maybe it's super obvious and I'm too tired to figure it out." He said shaking his head.

"If you're able to sleep, I think getting some rest would help," Kristen said gently. "This is a lot to deal with, and you're still recovering."

"Perhaps." Edward said, maybe once his mind was clear and he could sit down and rethink the entire scenario …

"For tonight I think it would be best if we all stayed here. I'll take the couch .." Deidre said.

"Thanks," Kristen said quietly. "I think we'll all feel better tonight if we stick together," she agreed.

"I'd feel better if you both went home." Edward said pulling the blanket up, though he knew neither would listen.

"We're not leaving you alone," Kristen said firmly.

"Yeah," Deidre agreed. "That's pretty much out of the question. We're invading. Just accept it."

"Anyway, what are you going to do when I've moved in here?" Kristen asked.

"At this point … You shouldn't. You know where I stand on this. I'm dangerous." Ed said not looking at her.


	45. Chapter 45

A few days later Ed felt much better. Not 100% but functional enough to go talk to his boss. He walked up the sidewalk and into the building before going up to the receptionist.

"Hi, can I speak to Mr. Walker please?" He asked.

The receptionist winced slightly. "Not sure you want to do that today," she said confidentially. "He's in a foul mood."

"When is he not?" Edward muttered. "I still need to speak to him."

"Alright," the receptionist said. "But don't say I didn't warn you." She pressed a button on the desk next to her computer. "Mr. Walker," she said into the intercom. "Edward Nygma's here to see you."

"About damn time he shows up," said a gruff voice on the other end. "Send him in."

Edward moved towards his office and knocked on the door before stepping in. "Hello Mr. Walker." He said quietly.

"Where the hell have you been, Nygma?" Mr. Walker demanded, his beady little eyes glaring up at him. "It's been almost a month since you set foot in here."

"I uh … It's a long story." Edward said. "I don't remember where I was but … Someone abducted and tried to kill me … I was in the hospital until monday and I'm still recovering."

"Right," Mr. Walker said disbelievingly. "And you couldn't be bothered to call while you were 'recovering'? What, your kidnapper ate your phone?"

"I'm sorry … I was going through a lot." Edward said.

"Yeah, and we've had a lot of business to deal with since you've been gone. So that position is no longer open. I'm running a business here, Nygma."

"It wasn't my fault!" Edward argued. "If I could have been here I would have! It's not like I willingly got abducted!"

"You're assuming I believe this outlandish story to begin with!" Mr. Walker reminded him. "Either way, it's too late to do anything now. New guy's already on the payroll." He shook his head. "You did good work, Nygma, but I need reliability."

"I am reliable! Just check a newspaper from the other day! It was on the news!" He said. "I need this job, I have a kid to take care of!" Edward said. "This is illegal, you can't fire me if I have just cause to have missed work."

"Look, you were gone, I hired another guy, your position just isn't there anymore," Mr. Walker said, shaking his head. "You'll find something else I'm sure. But you're done here."

Edward was silent for a moment as he regarded Mr. Walker. "I understand that you have a business to run, but you hire multiple people at least twice a week … So don't insult my intelligence telling me my job has been filled. We both know a spot will open up in the next few days, this place is a revolving door. I have fantastic work ethic … This incident was not my fault … You're dismissing an employee to be an ass … And I can see why no one stays here. I was willing to come back here despite what I had gone through because I have said work ethic …" He said standing from his chair. "Thank you for your time." He said.

"Yeah, nice speech," Mr. Walker said, waving him out dismissively. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"Don't let karma bite you in the ass on the way home." Edward retorted walking out of the room.


	46. Chapter 46

"Hey, sexy," Deidre said when Edward walked back in the door. "Why were you gone so long? Did the boss put you back to work upon arrival?" She lowered her voice in a stage whisper. "Kristen's trying to cook again. I tried to stop her."

"I heard that," Kristen said indignantly from the kitchen area. "And I'll have you know I have never yet managed to mess up pasta."

"That's no achievement." Edward said as he sat down on the couch. "And no … He fired me actually."

"What?" Kristen looked up from the stove, shocked. "He can't do that! It's not like you could call in, you were kidnapped!"

Deidre shook her head. "Professional ethics don't mean shit in Gotham. What your boss needs is a good scare. I know a guy who knows a guy …"

"It's already taken care of." He said picking up the Rubik's cube from the table and twisting it in different directions. "And he's getting more than a scare."

"... Edward?" Kristen said uncertainly. "What exactly did you do?" The way he had said it was so ominously cryptic.

"I may have rigged his car to explode when he starts it." He said smugly, solving the puzzle before laying down on the couch, his legs crossed on the arm as he messed up the cube again.

Kristen traded glances with Deidre, before staring over at Edward. "You … did what now?" Something about his manner seemed … off, somehow. Other than what he had just said. But she couldn't exactly explain it.

"Overkill, much?" Deidre said, seeming calm on the surface, but Kristen recognized a certain heightening of pitch that happened when Deidre was nervous. "And right after he fired you? Cops look for motive, you know. Were there any security cameras in the parking lot? Did you check?"

"No, there's no cameras. He's too cheap to invest in trivial expenses, and he fires at least five to ten people every day if not more, the place is a revolving door … He called in three others after me … We all know what going in his office means." He said with a shrug before standing up, tossing the cube onto the couch, and moving behind Deidre where she was standing. He put his arms around her. "Relax, it'll be fine." He said kissing her neck.

"You're … weirdly calm about this," Deidre said, stunned at the casual display of affection. Yeah, they were all supposedly together, but … he wasn't ordinarily this demonstrative with her, at least not without a little moment of bashful hesitation at least.

Kristen crossed her arms as she observed them. No, this was not how Edward would react to something like this. There was no way he would be so calm immediately after killing someone. Beyond calm. Nonchalant. Confident to the point of boredom. This was a side of Edward that she'd only ever caught glimpses and hints of. It had never been center stage like this before.

"You're in a … different mood today," Kristen remarked, her tone decidedly neutral.

"Yeah, what's up with you?" Deidre asked, pulling away from him and moved over to Kristen. His eyes travelled over her.

"I'm supposed to be in the same mood all the time? That sounds …. Boring." He said practically stalking towards them.

"Maybe mood isn't exactly the right word," Kristen said, watching him closely. "You just seem different."

"Yeah, I'm with Kristen on this one," Deidre said. "You don't even seem overly concerned about finding a new job … which I'm told is something most people care about." Never mind that he seemed completely unperturbed after killing a man.

"I'll find one." He said looking to Kristen. "Weren't you saying to Lee that you wanted me to stop holding back? That I'm 'too gentle' that a man needs to have a bit of 'fire' a little 'danger'." He asked approaching her and pinning her against the counter. "I thought you'd enjoy this." He said with a smirk as he ran his hand through her hair and tugged a bit, not hard enough to hurt but enough to pull her head back making it easier for him to plunge his mouth onto hers in a fierce kiss.

Kristen let out a muffled sound that could have either been a yelp of protest or a moan. She wasn't even sure herself. But now was hardly the time for the latter; Edward was starting to seriously scare her. She tried to push him back.

"Dude, you just killed a guy," Deidre reminded him, a hint of alarm in her eyes. "Don't you think the timing's a little weird?"

"Well … He's not dead yet. He still doesn't get off work for another four hours." He said after breaking the kiss. His hand ran down to Kristen's wrist as he pressed himself against her.

"Technicality noted," Deidre said dryly. "Because making out with your girlfriend while waiting for some guy to explode isn't creepy at all."

Kristen gasped for breath when Ed broke the kiss, shaking slightly as she looked up at him. "You were eavesdropping on me talking to Lee? At the GCPD." she demanded. She didn't know how else he would have heard. There was no way Lee would repeat a conversation like that.

"No," He said gripping her wrist a little harder as he kissed her neck, ignoring Deidre's accusation. "I heard you talking before I walked in. I may have … Lingered." He said. "Briefly … You were after all, talking about me behind my back. I believe that's fair." He said

Kristen blushed profusely with embarrassment. "I … That's …" she stammered, not sure how to respond to that. She tried to pull her wrist away from him. "This is still…"

"Edward," Deidre said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Kristen doesn't look like she's comfortable with this right now. Why don't you back off and give her a minute to process the whole murder thing? The timing's just wrong right now."

Edward shrugged her hand off of his shoulder and looked to Deidre. "Kristen can talk for herself." Edward said letting go of her wrist and moving towards Deidre.

Deidre slapped Edward hard in the face. "You're being an asshole," she said flatly. "Take a step back and look at yourself."

"Seriously, Edward," Kristen said quietly. "You're scaring me."

Edward took a step towards Deidre a look of anger on his face, backing her into the wall behind her, his hands slamming against the wall on either side of her head making her flinch, her eyes wide with shock before he paused. He blinked a few times, looking between both of them a moment, the anger turning into confusion as his hands lowered. "I …" He paused. "I'm sorry." He said shaking his head and walking into the bathroom slamming the door closed behind him.

Deidre looked over at Kristen. "You alright?" she asked.

"Fine," Kristen nodded, a little shakily. "I should be asking you that as well."

"Yeah, I'm fine. What the hell," Deidre said. "Was that about?"

"I don't know," Kristen said quietly, glancing over at the bathroom door. "But whatever it is, it seems like it's over now."


	47. Chapter 47

Edward sat on the closed lid of the toilet and groaned quietly. "What the hell was that?" He asked. He didn't remember coming home, he just remembered standing there and seeing both Deidre and Kristen looking at him like …. "What did you do?" He asked quietly.

Ed's reflection grinned back at him. "I only did what you wanted to," he said. "Why don't you ask the girls? They can tell you all about it."

Kristen tapped softly on the door. "Edward?" she said gently. "Are you okay?"

"Go away please." He said, his hands threaded through his hair, his elbows on his knees.

"Alright," Kristen said, concern in her voice. "But … we're here whenever you're ready to come out."

The hallucination sighed and shook his head. "You know, all I've been doing is trying to solve all your problems, and have a little fun for once. You could stand to loosen up."

"Shut up!" Edward said a little louder than he had intended to.

"Careful, there," the mirror smirked. "You'll scare the ladies again … They're so skittish today, for some reason. I'd expect that from Kristen," he said, rolling his eyes. "But Deidre? I thought she had a little more spirit …"

Edward stood up and moved over to the mirror. He pulled it off the wall where it was hanging and placed it on the floor facing the tub so that he couldn't see the reflection.

"Leave me alone." He said through clenched teeth.

"Since when has it ever been that easy?" a voice asked from behind him.

Edward sat on the floor against the wall, his knees up to his chest, his hands over his ears as he hummed, tuning the voice out. It'll go away. It'll go away. It won't last forever.

An hour and a half later, when Edward's one-sided conversations had long since subsided, Kristen tapped lightly at the door. "Edward?" she asked quietly. "Can I come in?"

There was no answer from the other side of the door and Deidre looked up at her from the couch. "Should I try?" She asked quietly.

Kristen hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "Be careful," she said. "Try to avoid startling him, or he might lash out."

Deidre nodded as she approached the door. "Ed?" She asked giving the door a light knock. When he didn't respond, she turned the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, and pushed it open. "I'm coming in, okay?" she said.

"Only approach him if he's looking up and can see you," Kristen cautioned her, standing in the doorway as Deidre stepped in.

"Hey, Ed," Deidre said, crossing her arms and looking down at him. "Is the worst over for now?"

Edward sat against the tub, his head against the wall, his arms wrapped around himself, his knees loosely drawn to himself as he stared at the floor. He didn't seem to be any danger at the moment he just looked … Lost.

"That bad, huh?" Deidre said quietly, before sitting down on the bathroom floor nearby. "You want to sit here awhile longer, we'll sit, and when you feel like talking about it, let me know, okay?"

"Did I hurt either of you?" He asked quietly, not looking up at her.

"No," Kristen reassured him quickly. "You didn't hurt either of us." Mr. Walker was another matter, but she doubted Edward would be quite as concerned about him.

"I slapped you, though," Deidre added. "So if your face is stinging … that would be why."

That was the least of Ed's problems. "What did I do?" He asked.

"Well …" Kristen said uncomfortably. "You came in and informed us that you'd just rigged your former boss' car to explode … and you were really … casual about it. And then you, um …"

"You shoved Kristen against the wall and tried to initiate a rough makeout session," Deidre told him matter-of-factly. "You weren't too willing to back off either."

Edward flinched and looked back at the floor again. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"Edward," Kristen said quietly. "Do you … remember any of that? At all?"

"I remember putting the bomb in his car … I don't remember anything after that until we were in the kitchen. It was like … I don't know … It was like waking up I guess."

Deidre nodded. "You were acting like somebody else."

"Not exactly," Kristen said, frowning. "It was more like … the parts of you that I recognize most seem to have just gone to sleep, and a part of you that I'd only seen hints of before was suddenly amplified."

Edward sighed and banged his head against the wall beside him. "Why do I keep having these blackouts?" He asked, sounding more frustrated than anything. "What if I had hurt one of you. This is why I wanted you both to leave …"

"I don't think you would really hurt us," Kristen insisted.

"More accurately, we wouldn't let you," Deidre said bluntly. "It's easier for everyone that you snapped out of it when you did, but … we would still be fine. Trust me."

"And I suppose you have magic powers to stop me from walking in here with a gun?" He asked. "There's no guarantee you could stop me … I can't even stop myself!"

"You're not going to walk in here with a gun," Kristen insisted.

"No …" Deidre agreed thoughtfully. "I don't think this other side of you would be interested in doing that."

"And did you think this 'other side of me' would do what I did today?" He asked. "I saw how both of you were looking at me, you were scared."

"Not as scared as you are right now," Kristen said. However terrifying all of this might be, it had to be just as bad for Edward. This wasn't his fault, anymore than the incident when he'd abducted himself and nearly died. She wasn't about to abandon him because of something beyond his control.

"And we're one step closer to identifying all of the signs to expect," Deidre added. "This isn't like what I've seen before or what Kristen's described … If you're experiencing a memory blackout, then this may well be the same state you were in when you kidnapped yourself. So now we have some idea what that looks like too."

"Yeah, after it happens." He said shaking his head. "I still think you should both leave …" He said staring at his hands which were now loose in his lap.

"And I think we're staying right here," Kristen said firmly.

"Face it," Deidre said, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're stuck with us."

"You're both crazier than I am." He said shaking his head and moving up to sit on the tub. "I am sorry for … Whatever it was I did."

"You weren't in control," Kristen said, looking at him in concern. "It's not your fault."

"And that makes it okay?" He asked.

"No, not exactly," Kristen sighed. "It's just … You're blaming yourself for something that keeps happening to you, and … that's not really fair either."

"I'm scared I'm going to do something to either of you …" He said. "Or worse …"

"Edward," Kristen said quietly. "There is absolutely no part of you that would ever hurt Rubix."

Deidre shook her head. "This other side of you doesn't even seem interested in him," she agreed. "I can't see a motive for it."

"And what if he suddenly does? What if he gains motivation?" He asked.

"Just like that?" Deidre said. "I don't think so."

"All the more reason you need us both here to keep an eye on you," Kristen said.

"Have I ever told you, that you're both more stubborn than Bullock." He said though a faint smile tugged at his mouth, though it seemed like he was trying really hard to put on a brave face in all of this. Really though, he didn't feel like the victim here … He felt like … He didn't know what he felt like. He couldn't explain it.

"Maybe," Kristen said, making her way over to him through the cramped bathroom. It really wasn't meant to have this many occupants at once. She gave him a hand to help him up, Deidre doing the same and taking his other hand. "But we give significantly better hugs than Bullock does."

"Also, we're definitely prettier than Bullock," Deidre added. "I want that on the record as well."

"Do you even know who Bullock is?" He asked looking down at Deidre once he was standing.

"Don't need to," Deidre said confidently. "I already know we're prettier."

Deidre and Kristen both pulled Edward into a tight hug, one on either side of him, and just stood there holding him. Kristen kissed him on the cheek. "It's going to be okay," she said quietly. "We'll find a way to make all of this work out."


	48. Chapter 48

Edward came into the apartment, a small plastic bag in his hand.

"DADA HOME!" Rubix yelled running towards him before Deidre scooped him off the floor making him squeal.

"Let's let dada take his shoes off before you try bowling him over hmm?" She asked with a smile, but Ed knew what she was really doing. She didn't know what mood he'd be in …

"Hey bud." Ed said with a smile kicking his shoes off by the door. "Were you good?" He asked.

"Yeah dada! Look wha I made!" He said wiggling out of Deidre's arms and running over to the table to show him his macaroni picture. "Dats you dada!" He said pointing to one blob of macaroni that looked like it maybe could have been a person if you squinted really hard and tilted your head slightly to the left. "Das Kisten, das Deda and das me!" He said happy that he did a picture of the whole family.

"He's been working on it all afternoon," Kristen said, coming over and kissing Edward gently on the cheek. "How … How was your day?"

"It's a no go on the job front." He said sitting down at the table and putting the bag down. "Hey Rubix, why don't you go downstairs and play with your transformers, okay?" He asked.

"I wanna stay up heyo." Rubix said picking up the bottle of glue.

"I know you do," Kristen said sympathetically. "But we need to start cleaning up the table for dinner. Why don't you go play while we clean up this yucky glue, okay?"

"Okay," Rubix said sounding disappointed as he got off the chair and climbed downstairs.

"So … nothing on the job front," Deidre said, once Rubix was out of earshot. "What about the other front?"

Kristen looked over at him, not sure how to read his expression well enough to be sure how things went. Mostly, he just looked tired.

Edward opened the bag and pulled out a pill bottle, placing it on the table. "Doctor has a few theories of what it could be … But he's sure it's advanced stages of schizophrenia." He said not sounding too impressed. "I have to take these twice a day, once before bed, once when I wake up. He told me to avoid stress, stay as relaxed as possible, told me to find some kind of positive support system, and wants to set me up with therapy three times a week."

"Well …" Kristen said uncertainly. "You have the support system thing covered." And he didn't have any work-related stress at the moment … Though the lack of work was a major stress source on its own. And trying to find a new job while doing therapy three times a week might be difficult. "Did he mention any possible side-effects for the drugs? How are they supposed to help?"

"Yeah, what are these?" Deidre said curiously, picking up the pill bottle and examining the label.

"He thinks the blackouts are actually just memory loss. They're supposed to stop the hallucinations and the 'blackouts'." He said as Deidre examined the bottle. "Of course they have side effects, all medications do."

"You're not kidding," Deidre said reading the 'Warning' section of the label. "Some of these may be pretty rough for awhile. Hopefully, you won't get all of them. They're required to list them anyway, for legal purposes." She wasn't overly confident about that, but they hadn't seen yet how it would affect him. Why stress him out about side-effects he didn't even have yet?

"And the session?" Kristen asked. "I mean, he didn't just throw pills at you and say to call him in the morning, right? Did you feel like he really listened and took things seriously?"

"No, that's precisely how it went. He asked me what my symptoms were, I told him, he said "We'll try this." and handed me a prescription." He said shaking his head. "I think I'll need to have a conversation with Rubix though …"

Kristen nodded, a little uneasy. She wondered what three therapy sessions a week would accomplish if there was so little therapy actually involved, but then maybe it was just like this the first session. And Edward had been so reluctant to get help. She was willing to be patient and see if it it worked. "Right," she said quietly. "He'll need to understand at least some of what's going on."

"Do you want to try to talk to him tonight?" Deidre asked, putting down the pill bottle.

Edward sighed. "I think I should, before I start on this." He said pointing to the bottle. "But I think we should put some things in place for him, for his safety. Teach him how to use the phone if need be, I think he's old enough. He can figure it out if he's shown. Give him a way of getting out of the apartment if need be, so he can go down to Marian's." He said shaking his head. No child should have to have those precautions in place … He felt, in a way, like his father.

"I think that's a good plan," Kristen said, putting a hand on Edward's shoulder. "We can help teach him."

"He's a smart kid," Deidre agreed. "He'll learn pretty quick … He'll be okay, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, somehow I don't think 'okay' should be any state a child should be in." He said standing up and slowly making his way towards the stairs.

Rubix looked up at the stairs as he heard Edward on his way down. "Dada? Can come upstayohs now?"

"No, we're going to stay down here for a little bit, daddy needs to talk to you okay?" He asked coming over and sitting on the floor leaning against Rubix's bed.

"Okay," Rubix said, looking up at him with wide attentive eyes, still holding his Transformer.

"Remember how daddy was in the hospital. Cause I was sick?" He asked holding his hand out to Rubix so he could come sit on his lap.

"Uh-huh," Rubix nodded, climbing into his dad's lap. "Cause the bad guy got you and you got huwt and you gone a long time."

Edward watched as Rubix was half playing with his toy. Edward put his hand on the transformer. "Can we put this down for a bit. I need you to listen okay Rubix?" He asked taking the toy and putting it down. "I know this is going to be hard for you to understand, but I need talk to you about what happened. Can you be a big boy and help daddy?" He asked.

"Okay," Rubix said, looking up at him. "I can hewp." He didn't know yet what he was supposed to help with, but if he needed to be a big boy, then it must be important.

"Well, daddy is still sick. And sometimes because of that I don't act like me … Sometimes I get mean even if I don't want to … But it happens cause I'm sick. So I'm going to show you how to use the phone okay? And how to unlock the front door so you can get out … But!" He said. "You only leave the apartment if you feel you're scared of daddy okay? And if you do, you run down to Grandma's. You know where that is right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I know Gammas," Rubix said, looking confused. "But why you stiw sick? When you get bettoh?" And how could he be scared of daddy? Daddy was nice. He never acted mean like he was saying.

"I don't know if I will." He said. "But I'm going to be on medicine now, so it shouldn't happen. But I don't know what the side effects will be … Do you know what a side effect is?"

Rubix shook his head, more confused than ever. "No," he said. "What's side ffets?"

"Do you remember when you had a cold, and I had to give you that light purple medicine you said was 'yucky!'?"

"Blechy!" Rubix said, sticking out his tongue remembering the medicine his dad made him take.

"You know how it made you really tired?" He asked. "It helped your cold, but it made you really sleepy. That's a side effect."

"So …" Rubix said, fidgeting as he tried to understand. "You tiewd?"

Edward laughed slightly. "I could be … Or it could do other things. I don't know yet. But I want you to promise me that if I'm acting weird … That you'll call Kristen, or Deidre or run downstairs to Marian's okay?" He asked.

"Wiewd?" Rubix looked up at him, still confused. "What kine wiewd?" It sounded like he was supposed to be scared, and he didn't understand why he would be.

"Just … If I'm not acting like myself …" He said. "You know what daddy is usually like. If I'm acting different …" He said. "Now go get the phone from the table, I'm going to show you how to call Kristen and Deidre."

"Okay!" Rubix said, suddenly excited, as he climbed off of Edward's lap and ran to go get the phone. He'd never been allowed to play with the phone before. He brought it back and put it to his ear, looking as grown-up as he could. "Hewo, Deeder! Hewo Kisten! I'm on a phone!"

"Well you have to dial them first." He said laughing as he took the phone. "Here like this, if you want to call Kristen, you push 1, and then you push the green button." He said showing him how. "Go ahead, see if she answers."

Eagerly, Rubix did as he was instructed, and then called: "Kisten! Kisten!" while it rang, as if calling for a lost dog. Moments later, when Kristen answered with a "Hello," Rubix responded by yelling: "Kisten! I a phone!" at the top of his little lungs.

Upstairs, Kristen winced, moving the phone back from her ear for a moment, before answering with an amused smile: "Yes, you are on the phone. That's very grown up of you."

"You have to talk quiet Rubix … You don't have to yell." He said. "Don't start talking until she says hello. Wanna try again?" He asked as Rubix handed him the phone. Without saying good bye to Kristen he hung it up and handed the phone back to Rubix.

Rubix pressed 1 and the green button again, fidgeted impatiently while it rang twice, and then heard Kristen answer "Hello again, Rubix," through the receiver.

"Hi, Kisten!" Rubix said, before hushing his voice and saying: "Dada say I have be kyet on a phone."

"You're doing much better," Kristen assured him. "I can hear you perfectly."

"Kay! Dada here!" He said handing Edward the phone. He laughed and took the phone.

"Thank you Kristen." He said. They spent the evening teaching Rubix what to do in case he had to. Taught him what to look for if Ed was acting strange. Even going so far as to say "If he was acting like your mother." which Rubix understood, though seemed confused at the thought that his daddy would act that way. Edward spent an hour moving the doors lock to the bottom of the door, so that Rubix could reach it. It would be awkward to get into the apartment, but at least Rubix could get out, making sure that he was only to leave without an adult if it was an emergency.


	49. Chapter 49

The glowing neon light finally went out late that night leaving the apartment in darkness, the only light coming from the near full moon outside. Or, from what little was poking out from behind the dark clouds. Shadows played over the walls as Rubix lay in bed, having woken up. He looked around the dark room. He was thirsty, but he didn't want to get out of bed in case he got into trouble. Then again … He doubted he'd get into trouble here.

He sat up on the edge of the bed, wondering what he should do. He was really thirsty.

Gathering up all his courage he got out of bed and moved to the bathroom, but his glass wasn't in there. His daddy must have left it upstairs. He slowly moved to the stairs and listened. He could hear Deidre snoring softly, and he knew Kristen and daddy didn't snore, still he heard nothing else from upstairs, and no lights were on so …. They must all be asleep.

Quietly as he could he moved up the stairs on all fours, sneaking until he reached the top. If he could make it to the kitchen. But there was something by the sink. A shadow. He couldn't tell what it was and froze, hearing a light thudding noise every so often. What was it? Rubix moved around the living room towards the bed but then realized it was his daddy sitting against the sink cupboard, staring straight ahead.

"Dada?" He asked quietly, slowly moving towards his father. What was he … Rubix paused a few feet away from him. Was this what he meant by him acting weird? It certainly was strange. "Dada?" He asked again quietly. Why wasn't he responding? He wanted to move to him, but his dad had said if he was acting weird to get Kristen. But …. He glanced at the bed, his finger in his mouth. Kristen was sleeping. And it was all dark out. He didn't think she'd be happy to be woken up in the middle of the night. "Dada?" He asked again taking a step forward and and jumped when Edward looked at him, light from the moon reflecting off his eyes, and something reflective in his hand.

Rubix paused. He'd never seen his dada look like that before … Not at him anyway … He ran over to the bed, but Edward didn't move. His eyes went back to the middle of the room again, as if he was watching something. He went to the bed and crawled up. "Kisten." He said. "Kisten wake up pease." He said shaking her shoulder.

Kristen mumbled something and rolled over in her sleep, putting an arm around Deidre, who didn't so much as move.

Rubix looked at his dad again, who he now couldn't see past the island. Was he still there? Did he move? Was this what they meant by emergency? He shook Kristen's shoulder again. "Kisten, dada acty weowd!" He said, shaking her harder. "Kisten, dada acty weowd! Up! Up!" He said before hitting her arm hard with both hands.

"Hmm?" Kristen's eyes blinked open, looking up at a frightened Rubix, as her brain pieced together his words to figure out what he was saying. "Dad's acting weird?" Kristen repeated, suddenly more alert. She shook Deidre's arm to wake her.

Deidre groaned and shoved her head under her pillow. "Five more minutes." She said before she heard the quiet thudding noise coming from the corner of the kitchen. What was that? She groggily opened her eyes and saw Rubix kneeling on the bed. "What's going on?"

"I think Edward's having an episode," Kristen whispered. "We need to get Rubix out of here and then see if we can calm him down."

Deidre snapped a light on and looked around, not seeing Edward anywhere but suddenly on full alert. "Rubix, you know how to get down to Granda's right?" She asked, quietly moving to the door. Rubix nodded. "Okay you run down, don't stop, and bang on the door until they let you in! Okay? Can you do that for me?" She asked opening the front door, Rubix nodded again, glancing back at where his daddy was sitting. "Good … Tell them to stay in the apartment, and lock the door, don't let anyone but me or Kristen in, okay?" She doubted he'd be able to remember all that, but whatever he could remember would help.

He was confused, but he was starting to get even scareder. He climbed off the bed and ran down the hall, carefully moving down the stairs and towards Marian's apartment.

Kristen stood up, still unable to see exactly what Edward was doing on the floor behind the kitchen island, but putting herself between the door and the direction of the sound until Rubix was out. "Edward," she said, in a cautious voice. "How are you feeling?" He'd told her he had taken his medicine … Had he been lying? Why would he lie about that? Or had he taken his medicine, and somehow made it worse?

Edward didn't respond, just kept stabbing the knife into the wooden floor, the wood splitting, a hole forming from the blade. He didn't look confused, or lost as he had the last time he just looked …. Blank.

"Edward," Kristen repeated, walking over to where she could see him, though still keeping her distance. Her eyes widened slightly as he came into view, and she saw him just stabbing the floor again and again. "I think you need to put the knife down," she said, as firmly as she could.

When Edward didn't respond Deidre moved slightly closer, moving slowly. "Edward?" She asked quietly. "Edward, please put the knife down."

Nothing. It was like he couldn't see or hear them. Kristen traded an uneasy glance with Deidre, before slowly putting a hand on Edward's wrist, her other hand carefully taking the knife's handle and pulling it away from him.

Edward didn't even respond to her removing the knife from his hand, didn't even look at her. Deidre moved to his other side. "Ed?" She asked. He blinked for the first time since they came near him, but still did not respond. "Ed please look at me."

Kristen moved away and set the knife aside, well out of Edward's reach, before returning to him, and gently shaking his shoulder. "Edward," she said firmly. "Edward, can you look at us please?"

Edward still didn't respond at all though now it looked like he was quietly muttering to himself, though what he was saying wasn't audible enough for them to hear.

"What are you seeing Ed?" Deidre asked, sitting down beside him, her hand going to his face to rub his cheek. He jumped when she touched him and glanced at her before he looked around confused. Why was he in the kitchen? He was … No he couldn't have been …

"Edward?" Kristen said softly, taking his hand in hers. "Do you remember what was happening? How you got here?"

Edward shook his head slowly, not sure what to say. He looked confused more than anything. He'd gone to bed, that much he knew … But how did he get out of bed without waking Deidre or Kristen, he'd fallen asleep between them.

"Did you take your medicine?" Kristen asked quietly. Though he might be too out of it to remember right now.

Edward thought a moment before he shook his head. "No." He said quietly. He said he did but … He hadn't. The bottle was in the bathroom on the sink.

Kristen traded glances with Deidre, and then put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"You went through all the trouble of getting them," Deidre said, watching his face, trying to understand. "Did something bother you about taking them?"

"I just …" Edward stopped a moment. It sounded silly when he actually went to voice it. "I don't know what it'll do to me."

"Oh, Edward," Kristen said, putting her arms around him. "If you're worried about something that much … You know you can talk to us about it, right?"

"Yeah," Deidre said, hugging him too. "And we'd monitor you for how it affects you. Worst case scenario, you can wait for it to wear off, and it'll be out of your system again."

"And what if that happens and I come back worse than ever?" He asked. "We still haven't figured out what's causing all this."

"No," Kristen said quietly. "And I really, really hope this doctor does more in the future to try to help sort through things and figure it out. It bothers me that he hasn't too, but … We need to do something, don't we? Things can't just keep going the way they have been."

"We're here with you," Deidre reassured him. "So if it has any weird side effects, or makes you worse, we'll be on the lookout for it. We won't let anything bad happen to you. But nothing the doctor prescribed you is going to do anything permanent to you, either good or bad. Worst case scenario, we keep an eye on you until it's out of your system, and then try to figure out something else instead. You're going to be okay."

"You don't know that." He said. "If this doesn't work … Promise me we'll sit down. Reevaluate everything that happened again … Find something that's triggering all this. There has to be something."

Deidre nodded. "Of course."

"I think we should do that anyway," Kristen said. "Even if the medication works perfectly … It'll be better if we can figure out what keeps bringing this on."

Edward nodded then something occurred to him. "Where's Rubix?" He asked. Deidre and Kristen looked at each other a moment before Deidre answered.

"We sent him downstairs to Marian's." She said. "Will you two be okay if I go get him?"

"Yeah, we'll be okay," Kristen said, before standing and offering Edward a hand up. Edward didn't accept her hand but stood up shakily. He'd scared them enough that Rubix had to go running down to Marian's? He didn't think it would happen this soon. They'd just put that plan into shape that night. He hadn't even talked to Ben and Marian yet. God, what must they think right now?

When Deidre returned with Rubix, he looked at his dad, though his face was hidden behind his arm, his head buried in Deidre's neck.

"Dada okay now?" He asked. "Feow better?"

"Better than he was," Kristen reassured him, going over to Deidre to give Rubix a hug. "You did exactly the right thing, waking me and Deidre up so we could help him, and then going to Marian's. You are such a brave boy."

"I'm going to get this little one back to bed," Deidre said.

"Deeda, thirsty," he said, telling her why he'd come upstairs to begin with.

"Your thirsty?" she asked, sounding shocked, though it was clearly dramatic. "Okay, let's get you some water?"

"Meowk?" He asked hopefully.

Deidre looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You know you're not allowed during the night … But … I think tonight we can make an exception," she said. "But I'm heating it up for you."

Kristen smiled slightly at Rubix. "I think he's earned it," she said. "Though you be sure and tell Deidre thank you, okay Rubix?"

"Okay Kisten!" He said as Deidre carried him over to the counter and put him down on the edge, her hand staying on him as she prepared a pot of milk to heat up on the stove like her own mother used to for her.

Kristen went over to where Edward was now sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down morosely at the pill bottle, and she sat down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm scared." He said opening the bottle. It shouldn't be that big of a deal. They were supposed to make him better right? What ever was happening scared him to … It was just a matter of which scared him more. He took a pill out of the bottle and placed the jar in the drawer of the side dresser, locking it so that Rubix couldn't get into it. He picked up the glass of water he'd left on the side dresser the night before and stared down at the pill.

"I know," Kristen said quietly, leaning in and kissing Edward on the cheek. She was scared too. What if it affected him badly, ended up making him more miserable than before? "If you don't like how it affects you, you can always stop taking it, and we'll be here to help you figure out something else," she promised. But they had to try something. Things had long since gotten out of hand.

Before Edward could think of it anymore he took the pill and chased it down with some water. That was it then … All he could do was wait to see what happened. He watched as Deidre lifted Rubix and his glass of milk off the counter and Ed stood and walked over.

"Hey bud." He paused when Rubix buried his face in Deidre's neck away from him. He'd never done that before. His chest started to hurt when he realized Rubix was afraid of him. He didn't blame the kid … He didn't know what he did but … He certainly frightened him.

"Rubix …" Kristen said gently, seeing the look on Edward's face when Rubix turned away from him. She went over and put a comforting hand on Rubix's back. "It's alright," she assured him. "Dada's back to normal now."

Rubix didn't look at him still and muttered a whiny "Wanna go bed."

"It's okay … It's late. He's tired." Edward said stepping away and moving back to the bed. Deidre took Rubix downstairs, tucking him into bed.

"He's had a rough night," Kristen said, smoothing back Edward's hair. "I'm sure he'll be okay in the morning."

"Maybe …" He said as Deidre came back up.

"I told Marian that Rubix was sleeping with you two, we heard someone on the fire escape so we had him run downstairs." Deidre explained. She didn't know if they wanted Marian and Ben to know yet.

Kristen nodded. "Good thinking," she said. She ran a hand over Edward's back. "Do you think you'll be able to get some sleep?"

"Yeah … I'll try anyway. I'm sorry." He said as Deidre came back over to the bed and climbed into bed on the other side. She reached over to Ed and rubbed her hand over his side.

"It's okay … You didn't do anything." Deidre said.

"This isn't your fault," Kristen agreed, putting an arm around him and holding him. "It's going to be okay. We'll all get through this together."


	50. Chapter 50

Two nights later Edward felt like he was going crazier than he was before. Oh the hallucinations had stopped, and the attacks had ceased as promised, but he had slept maybe four hours in the past two days and despite the fact that he was now laying in bed completely relaxed and feeling exhausted … He couldn't sleep.

Kristen and Deidre lay on either side of him in the bed, Kristen half-asleep, one arm draped over Edward's chest.

Edward sighed as he gently moved Kristen's arm off of him and carefully got off the end of the bed. He moved quietly to the dining room table and turned his laptop on.

"Hmm…?" Kristen mumbled wordlessly, waking up enough to see that Edward was up and at the dining room table. In Edward's absence, Deidre rolled over, clinging to her. "Edward?" Kristen murmured, fumbling for her glasses on the bedside table. "Can't sleep again?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He said quietly, so he didn't wake up Deidre as well.

Kristen shook her head, yawning. "You don't have to be sorry," she said tiredly. She felt bad that he wasn't able to sleep, and there didn't seem to be much she could do to help. "Do you want some tea or something?"

"No, go back to sleep. One of us should." He said starting to look through Gotham's job listings again.

"Okay," Kristen yawned, settling back into bed. "Just try not to stress yourself out, okay?"

Puzzles, meanwhile, identified the one human awake enough to pay attention to him, and started trying to climb up Edward's leg.

Edward hissed as his claws dug into his leg and he picked him up, placing him on the table next to the laptop. "You're a menace, you know that?" He whispered at the thing who proceeded to climb on his keyboard.

After a while had passed, Edward showed no sign of relaxing and returning to bed, but still kept searching restlessly on his computer. Kristen quietly got out of bed, careful not to disturb Deidre, and padded over to Edward. She started massaging his shoulders.

"Am I keeping you awake?" He asked, hitting submit on another application.

"Maybe a little," Kristen admitted, massaging down his back and leaning in to kiss the side of his neck. "You seem pretty tense … Maybe I could take your mind off of things?"

"Not now Kristen." He said moving down the page. He was too tired to even think straight let alone make his exhausted body want what she was suggesting. He felt like shit and nothing was going to change that anytime soon, except sleep. Though … Admittedly… The massage did feel good.

"No?" Kristen asked, unconvinced. One hand continued rubbing at Edward's shoulders, while the other slid down and around the front, inching toward his cock. "What about now?"

"Kristen … Don't …" He said pulling his hands away from the keyboard.

"Don't what?" Kristen whispered, her hand running lightly over the soft bulge in his pajama pants from his cock. She nipped playfully at his ear. "I think we can avoid waking up Deidre."

"Kristen." He said taking her hand and pulling it away from his groin. "I said no." He said firmly, his voice loud enough it made Deidre groan and turn over in bed without waking up.

Kristen's expression fell. She hadn't realized that he meant it. "I … I'm sorry," she stammered, backing off. "I thought you were just … I'm sorry." She should have realized he was too tired to be playing around. But … she couldn't ever remember a time when he hadn't been interested. Or any other guy she'd been with, for that matter. She couldn't help feeling rejected. Edward didn't want her. "I'll just go back to bed," she said, pulling away, not quite able to keep the hurt out of her voice. "Sorry to bother you."

Edward sighed as he took his glasses off and tossed them onto the table, rubbing his hands over his face. "Kristen … Come back." He said quietly.

Tentatively, she turned around to look at him. "It's okay if you want to be left alone right now," she said quietly.

Edward pulled his hands away from his face and held his hand out to her to come back to him.

Kristen walked over, taking his hand in hers as she went to him. "But if I'm not helping …" she said quietly. He didn't have to make her feel better about the rejection, not when he was the one who was so stressed and tired.

He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his forehead against her shoulder.

"You are helping …" He said quietly. "And I never want you to leave me alone … But … I can't right now …" He said sounding more upset than anything. He wanted to please her more than anything but if she wanted that ... "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm just …" He paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm exhausted … I'm sore .. My head hurts, I'm dizzy, I can't think straight …"

"You don't have to be sorry," she said, running her fingers gently through Edward's hair. She felt bad that she'd made him upset. That had backfired completely. "I should have understood that and backed off sooner. You're hurting. I don't know why I took it personally."

"We …" He paused. "We can if you want …" He said. God, he hated disappointing her.

"No, Edward," Kristen said, leaning in and kissing him on the forehead. "You just told me you're too tired. We don't have to do anything, alright? I understand."

Edward nodded as he closed the laptop. "I'm sorry …" He said again. "I'll come back to bed."

"Okay," Kristen said, kissing him gently before climbing up from his lap. She didn't know whether Edward would be able to sleep any better this time than before, but it was worth a try. Somehow, she didn't think restlessly searching on his computer was going to help.

Edward moved back to the bed, moving into the middle as Deidre immediately put her arm over his chest as if she subconsciously didn't want him to leave again … Apparently she didn't like being alone in bed, even in her sleep. He pulled the covers back for Kristen to get in on the other side.

Kristen climbed into bed next to Edward, stifling a yawn. "Of course," she added. "I could always go down on you, if you think that might help you relax." She was half-joking at this point, since Edward didn't seem truly interested tonight … But she would be willing to do it, if he took her up on her offer.

Edward sighed. "I told you Kristen … I'm too exhausted to reciprocate." He said quietly.

"You wouldn't have to," Kristen said gently. "So don't worry about that. Just … do you think it would help?"

"I don't know … You can try if you want to." He said quietly as Deidre moved under his arm, snuggling closer to him. "But you don't have to."

"I want to help any way that I can," Kristen whispered, not wanting to wake Deidre. It had been terrible seeing him suffer these past few nights and being helpless to alleviate it. "Just let me know if you want me to stop." She moved down over him, before tugging down his pajama pants in the front and gently taking the tip of his soft cock into her mouth.

It took a little longer than normal, but eventually, with her mouth gently coaxing him, he started hardening between her lips.

As she felt Edward's cock growing firmer, she started to work her way further down his shaft, taking him in deeper, her tongue caressing the underside of his shaft as she sucked.

Edward closed his eyes as she moved her mouth over him. Despite how tired he was, he had to admit, this felt good.

Kristen continued to work her way farther down Edward's cock, until the tip hit the back of her throat, and she took the base of the shaft into her hand, moving it along with her mouth as she worked her way up and down Edward's now erect cock. She hoped he was enjoying this, that she could manage to relieve some of his tension. He surely needed it.

Deidre groaned as she opened her eyes, feeling the bed bobbing slightly and realized what was going on.

"Really guys." She mumbled stretching slightly before her hand ran tiredly over his chest.

Kristen blushed slightly, but was otherwise unable to respond at the moment. She could explain later … to the extent that there was really anything to be explained. She quickened her pace as Edward's shaft slid in and out of her mouth and against her tongue.

Edward's breathing starting becoming heavier as Deidre moved down slightly, her hand trailing over his stomach down past Kristen's face and started gently fondling his sac, her mouth moving over his nipple.

Not much explaining to do after all. Kristen's hands went to Edward's hips, pulling him up toward her slightly as she continued to suck at his cock.

Edward's hand trailed over Deidre's bare back and down to her ass, grabbing her gently as Kristen kept working her mouth over him. With both of them on him he quickly felt his orgasm starting to build.

Quickening the pace more, Kristen took Edward's cock into her mouth over and over again, her tongue moving over the tip and the underside of the shaft as she worked her way up and down, her hands running over his sides.

Edward moaned, his eyes closed, his head back against his pillow as his body tensed, the sore feeling becoming worse, but pleasure wracked over him as he came inside of her mouth without issuing her a warning.

Kristen let out a muffled sound of surprise as Edward came, but after her initial reaction, remained where she was and continued to suck, letting Edward ride out his orgasm.

Deidre stopped what she was doing and pulled her hand away when she heard Kristen practically yelp in surprise, a slight breathy laugh escaping her as she cuddled up back to Ed.

"Sorry." He said quietly. His body felt odd, like it was sore but wanted to be relaxed at the same time. He wanted to take an Advil but he didn't know how that would react with his medication.

Kristen pulled back once Edward was done, wincing slightly as she swallowed and wiped her face. "It's okay," she panted, laying down on Edward's side to curl up next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore." He said honestly, wincing as he moved his arm around her as well. "But thank you …" He said quietly.

"I'm sorry you're sore," Kristen said, concerned. "Are you allowed to take anything for it?"

"I don't know." He said moving his arms from around them and slid down the bed slightly as Deidre turned around and cuddled into the blanket. Ed turned onto his side, facing Kristen. "I'd have to read over the pamphlet that came with them."

"Right," Kristen sighed. Better to be safe about this kind of thing. She settled under the blankets. "Do you feel like you might be able to sleep, at least?"

"I'm sure he'd sleep better if you'd both stop talking." Deidre said crankily making Ed chuckle slightly.

"Sorry," Kristen said quietly. Deidre had been a pretty good sport about this, all things considered, but she appreciated her beauty sleep. "Goodnight."

"Thank you." Ed said quietly kissing her forehead before he snuggled into the bed, his arm resting on her side and he attempted to fall asleep again.


	51. Chapter 51

Edward groaned as he woke up, the sun on his face from the window and he pulled the blanket over his head. He briefly saw Rubix playing quietly on the floor as he turned over on the bed, finding it empty. "What time is it?" He mumbled.

"About nine thirty," Kristen said from the kitchen area, where she was in the process of making French toast. "If you want to sleep in a little longer, I can wake you up when breakfast's ready," she offered. As far as she could tell, Edward had slept soundly through the rest of the night, but he hadn't fallen asleep until about four. Still, it was the most sleep he'd gotten since he'd started taking his meds.

"No, I … I'll get up." He said but he made no move to actually do so.

"Alright," Kristen said, smirking slightly. "If you say so."

"Dada up?" Rubix asked quietly tugging on Kristen's pant leg.

"He's working on it," Kristen said. "Give him a couple minutes. He's still sleepy."

"Okay, shhhh!" He said with his finger to his lips; if dada was still sleeping they had to be quiet, cause dada wasn't feeling good. He slowly moved over to the bed and looked over the edge, his hands holding the edge as he looked at Ed. "Dada sickies?" He whispered.

Ed slowly opened his eyes and looked at Rubix from beneath the blanket. "No, just tired." He said reaching out for him and pulling him onto the bed, snuggling him like a teddy bear as he closed his eyes again.

"Dada!" Rubix said before he realized how loud he was. "Shhhh." He said again making Edward chuckle.

"I think he can still hear you," Kristen said, smiling slightly as she watched them. Maybe things were on their way to being okay again. Rubix wasn't scared of Edward, who hadn't had any further episodes since he'd started taking the medication. And they just might be a little closer to getting the insomnia under control.

"Hey brat face," Edward said kissing the top of his head as Rubix wiggled to get free. "Nooooo." Edward whined, holding onto him. "I want to cuddle! Nooooo!" He said as Rubix laughed and struggled more.

"Le go Dada! Dada!" Rubix said twisting onto his stomach and pushing himself forward against his dad's chest with his head.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" He asked flipping him up into the air upside down and dropping him onto the bed on his other side, making Rubix squeal.

Kristen laughed, watching them, as she dished out French toast onto four plates and started carrying them to the table. Deidre emerged from the trapdoor, looking over at them. "Should I come rescue you, Rubix?" she asked.

"No! You can not rescue him from the evil monster!" Edward said roaring as Rubix managed to scamper off the bed and Edward pulled himself to the edge, reaching for him as he screamed and ran away.

"Oh yeah?" Deidre said with a wicked grin. "Well I'm twice as evil as you are!" She jumped onto the bed and started tickling Edward. "Come on Rubix," she yelled. "Get him!"

"No, okay ow, ow stop!" Edward said as Deidre practically pounced on him.

"Hmm … I don't know," Deidre said, turning to look over at Rubix. "What do you think?" she asked. "Should I let him up?"

"I'm being serious, get off me." Edward said, clearly sounding annoyed.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Deidre said, getting off of him and backing away to give him some space, her hands up to indicate that no new attack was forthcoming.

Edward groaned as he rolled over onto his back. He supposed he was to blame for that, he's the one that started the fight, even if it was a joke.

"Dada kay?" Rubix asked going over to the bed to see if his dad was alright.

"Still sore?" Kristen asked quietly.

Deidre winced. "I'm sorry," she repeated. It had just been so good to see Edward up and laughing and playful again that she'd gotten carried away.

"It's okay. I'm fine …" he said, slowly sitting up in bed and pulling Rubix into his lap. "Go eat, Monster." He said kissing his head and putting him back down again.

Kristen pulled out a chair for Rubix and helped him up, pushing in his chair enough for him to reach the table.

Edward slowly stood up and moved to Kristen, kissing her on the cheek. "Morning." He said before he headed to the bathroom.

"He seems to be doing better," Kristen said, glancing over at Deidre as she cut up Rubix's French toast into small manageable bites for him.

"What happened?" Deidre asked, cutting into her own french toast. "He seems a bit …. Off still."

"He was having difficulty sleeping, so I … helped," she said, knowing Deidre would know what she was talking about. "And … afterward, he said he felt sore. I think it was around four before he finally got to sleep."

"Side effects from his meds?" Deidre asked quietly, thankful that Rubix was ignoring them. He was too busy humming and trying to dip the French Toast piece he had on his fork into a dollop of syrup and whipped cream.

"I think so," Kristen agreed. "I mean, he hasn't always slept soundly before, but … I think this is the first time he's slept at all since he started taking it. The soreness could definitely be a side-effect too."

Deidre heard the shower turn on and picked up Ed's plate, going over to place it in the microwave. "Still, if he's not able to sleep it's definitely something he should bring up with his doctor. Maybe there's something he can do."

"I agree … Maybe he could do something with the dosage," Kristen said, starting to eat quickly so that she could get ready for work. "He has another appointment soon."

"I'm sure he'll know to bring it up, but we should mention it anyway. He can't go much longer on no sleep." She said as the shower turned off and a few moments later Ed came back out, his hair wet and curling. "Hey babe." Deidre said as Ed came over and kissed her before going to the microwave to get his food.

"I know I have to talk to the doctor about the lack of sleep." He said as he closed the microwave door.

"You heard us huh?" Deidre asked.

"Oh, only … A lot." He said as he sat down on the table, Rubix laughing as the kitten was up on the table licking syrup off his plate.

Kristen picked up Puzzles and moved him away from Rubix's plate. "Sorry," she said. "We're just worried."

"I know." Edward said digging into his food. "But when …" Edward paused. "Um …" He shook his head. "Sorry, I … Lost my train of thought there." He said cutting into his French Toast. "I'll bring it up … Maybe he can give me something to help sleep or …." Edward paused again. "Or something."

Kristen watched Edward in concern. "You alright?" she asked.

"You seem a little distracted this morning," Deidre added.

"I'm fine …" Edward said. "It's probably lack of sleep. I'm having a hard time thinking."

"Probably," Kristen agreed, returning her attention to her French toast.

"Might want to check with the doctor anyway," Deidre suggested. "See if that's another possible side effect too."

"I will." Edward said, though he doubted it was anything.

"You've been doing that for the past day or so …" Deidre commented.

"Seriously," Kristen insisted. "If it's something that can be helped, the doctor needs to know about it." Edward always prided himself in his sharp mind. If he was having a hard time thinking … then he was having a hard time being himself. Maybe that was the reason he hadn't brought it up with the doctor. Maybe he was too afraid that it was an inevitable side-effect of the meds, and that it wasn't going away.

"Okay." Edward said. "Aren't you going to be late for work?" He asked pointing at the clock with his fork.

Kristen looked up at the clock and jumped to her feet, startled at the time. "You're right," she said, taking her plate to the sink. "Be good for Deidre, will you?" she said, stopping to kiss Edward on the cheek.

"Kisten me to!" Rubix said holding his hands out to her. "Don aget me!"

"Oh, how could I ever forget you?" Kristen said with a laugh, picking up Rubix and kissing him on the forehead. "You be good for Deidre and Dada too, okay?"

"Kay!" Rubix said playing with the KK embroidery on her shirt. "I good, I get cookie?" He asked hopefully.

"Rubix." Edward said in a warning tone.

Kristen laughed at that. "We'll see." She handed Rubix back to Edward, before she went to go get her purse.

"Get!" Edward said taking Rubix from her and pulled his plate across the table to him. "Out of my apartment!" Edward said jokingly. "Get out!"

"I'm going, I'm going," Kristen laughed, picking up her purse and heading out the door. With any luck, she should still make it to work on time.


	52. Chapter 52

"You look like you're about to tear your hair out." Lee said coming into the records room and handing Kristen a coffee from the break room. "They're out of cream." She said in an apologetic tone. "You want to take a break?"

"Thanks," Kristen said, taking the coffee. The way today was going, she didn't mind taking her coffee black. "A break sounds good right now."

"Come on, break rooms empty." Lee said, heading towards the door. As they walked to the break room Lee glanced at Kristen. "I haven't talked to you since Ed got out of the hospital. How's he been?"

"He's …" Kristen shook her head, sitting down at the break room table. "Stressed. He can't sleep, or concentrate … He says he's fine, but he's been having a difficult time." There was only so much she could tell her, though, without divulging exactly how Edward had ended up in the hospital in the first place.

Lee looked confused. "I … Suppose stress could do that. Has he seen a doctor about it?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"He … has," Kristen admitted. "And it seems to be helping some, but … It doesn't seem to have really fixed things."

"I bet." Lee said. "Jim has a few leads into finding who did it, but nothing really solid." She said, doubting she was supposed to talk to Kristen about this. "Who ever did it, was very good at hiding his tracks. The only thing they can really find is Ed's fingerprints. It's strange though …. That they managed to clear out their own fingerprints and stuff, but leave Ed's, don't you think?"

"That is strange," Kristen said, disguising her reaction with a thoughtful frown. "Maybe the kidnapper wasn't as concerned about Edward's fingerprints? I mean, we already know who the victim was."

"Yeah." Lee said, wrapping her hands around her warm mug. "So I heard you moved in with him. Or so rumour has it."

"Rumour has it right," Kristen said, smiling slightly as she took a sip of her bitter coffee.

"No way …" Lee said. "I'm happy for you two." She said smiling. "You seem like the perfect couple."

"Things are definitely going well on that front," Kristen agreed. Together, they'd managed to get through every situation that had been thrown their way. "Though … We've been trying something a little different lately." She fidgeted with her coffee cup. She didn't know how Lee would react to their relationship with Deidre. In general, Lee was a pretty open-minded person, but even so, a lot of people tended to draw the line at relationships with more than two people in them. Still, Lee was a good friend, and she wanted her to understand, to acknowledge her relationship as valid.

"Different?" Lee asked, raising her eyebrows. "Like … In the bedroom different?" She asked, a grin on her face.

"Well yes, that's a part of it," Kristen said, blushing a little. "Um … You remember that night we all went out for karaoke? And my friend Deidre was there?"

"Yes." Lee said, not really understanding where this was going. "You three all left a bit early."

"We did," Kristen nodded. "And all three of us ended up back at Edward's place, drinking, and somehow a game of strip poker between the three of us happened and then … well … a lot of other things between the three of us happened." She looked back at Lee, trying to gage her reaction.

Lee looked confused a moment before a look of amused surprise came over her. "You didn't."

"We did," Kristen confirmed, feeling her face blush a deep red. "So … in the morning, when we were all a little more sober, we had a kind of awkward talk about where we all stood and kind of worked things out."

"Worked things out …. How?" Lee asked curiously. She had no doubts that would have caused some kind of drama in their relationship.

"Well … long story short, Deidre's in the relationship now," Kristen said. "It's … kind of difficult to explain, but … I think she's brought some kind of balance to the relationship."

"So, you're all dating each other? Like a three way relationship?" She asked. "Do you ever get jealous of each other? Even a little?" Before Kristen could answer her her phone started buzzing loudly on the table.

"Um … hang on a second," she said, seeing Edward's number appear on the screen. She picked it up and answered. "Hi, Edward."

"Hey." He said before he whispered 'stop it' to someone in the background followed by Deidre whining in the background. "Um … Can anyone else hear me at the moment?" He asked.

"Not you, no," Kristen said, by way of indicating that someone would still overhear her. But he wasn't on speakerphone; Lee wouldn't be able to hear him. "What is it?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Stop it." He said before Kristen heard a soft smack followed by an ow that was clearly not upset. "I just-"

"I told him he doesn't need permission." Deidre said into the phone and Ed pulled away from her.

"We never really talked about it before but …"

"I want to fuck his brains out and he wants to ask mommy if he can play first!" Deidre yelled loud enough Kristen could hear.

Kristen burst out laughing. "Well … um … I guess we didn't really talk about that," she said, avoiding Lee's curious eyes. They'd both done things with Deidre, but that had been all three of them together. "Do you want to?"

Edward was silent for a moment. She didn't sound upset. "Well … I wouldn't be asking if I didn't."

That he had felt the need to stop what they were doing and ask her … Kristen was both amused and comforted by that. And the image of the two of them together made her blush even further. "Go ahead," she said. "But I reserve the right to ask for details later."

"We'll paint you a watercolour!" Deidre asked. "Now come on!" Deidre said before there was a clear scuffle for the phone and the line went dead.

Kristen shook her head in amusement as she put the phone away and returned to the table. "Sorry about that," she said, before answering Lee's question. "Jealousy … just hasn't turned out to be an issue between the three of us. So far, everyone's been pretty good about communicating when we're unsure if something's okay."

"I can see by the sounds of it …" Lee said chuckling. "I have to say, when I first met Ed I couldn't even imagine him dating, let alone dating two beautiful women … Forgive me for saying but … He seems like he would be so awkward in bed."

"He's … full of surprises," Kristen said, knowing what Lee meant. "And he's definitely gotten more confident in that area."

"I take it you're training him well then." She joked. "I'm still trying to teach Jim a few tricks but … He doesn't catch on very well." She said with a laugh. "If you don't mind me asking … You know, girl to girl, for curiosity sake. How big is Ed?"

Kristen smiled and looked around the break room. "No word of a lie …" She said picking up two can drinks from the table and stacking one on top of the other.

Lee stared at the two cans stacked on the table, her eyes wide, before she looked back up at Kristen. "You're kidding," she said in a quiet, conspiratorial tone. "Really?"

"Really," Kristen confirmed, nodding. She couldn't help smirking slightly at Lee's reaction. She hadn't believed her own eyes when she first saw it either. "One hundred percent serious truth."

"Can I borrow him one night?" Lee joked, her eyebrows raised still before she laughed.

"Lee!" Kristen scolded, laughing. "That's not how it works!"

Lee laughed as she pushed away her empty coffee cup. "I know, I know, I'm joking." She said playfully pushing Kristen's arm. "Hey, me and Jim wanted to invite you and Ed to dinner tomorrow, Deidre is invited too, if you three want to come."

"That … sounds really great, actually," Kristen said, grateful that Lee was being so accommodating. Though she was also probably curious. "Won't Jim be a little weirded out by all of this, though?"

"I don't think so. He was fine hanging out with you three at the karaoke bar." She said with a shrug. "Besides, your relationship isn't really any of his, nor anyone's business."

"True," Kristen said, relaxing a little. "Thanks for being so accepting. I know it's not exactly … conventional, but this is the best I've ever felt about a relationship."

"Well, so long as you're happy." Lee said smiling as she patted her arm.


	53. Chapter 53

Edward sighed as Deidre pulled the phone out of his hand. "Deidre!" he said, reaching for the phone which she held out of his reach, her legs intertwined with his as they sprawled on the bed, lipstick already smeared on his neck.

"Oh, you know she's fine with it," Deidre smirked. "She was there too, remember?"

Ed heard Kristen say something as Deidre hung up the phone and tossed it onto the side dresser. "Well you didn't have to be so rude about it. I was just-"

Deidre pulled him forward and kissed him, her hand reaching down and slipping into the front of his pants, caressing his cock.

Edward growled into the kiss as her hand plunged into his pants, her fingers touching his sensitive prick, the phone forgotten. He broke the kiss and looked at her beside him. "I think that's about where we left off." He said with a slight laugh before his mouth crashed against hers again, his tongue pressing out to find hers.

Moaning softly into the kiss, Deidre slipped her tongue into Edward's mouth as she undid the front of his pants and pulled his cock out, stroking it.

Edward pulled back, breathing heavily as he used his free hand to unbutton her shirt, her breasts bare and free of the material. "Were you planning on seducing me, or do you just normally not wear a bra?" He asked breathily.

"Bras are overrated," Deidre said, watching his reaction a little smugly. "Why?" she asked, stroking Edward's cock with a light touch. "Is this seductive?"

"I think that's evil," he said making quick work of her clothing until she was bare and he pressed her back into the mattress. "I want you." He breathed against her neck.

"Really?" Deidre said coyly, leaning forward and nipping his ear. "Show me."

He shivered as she nipped on his ear. "Really?" He asked, rubbing the tip of his cock against her. "Like this?" He asked. "With all my clothes on? This hardly seems fair."

"You're absolutely right," Deidre said, pulling off Edward's already loosened tie and setting it aside. She could think of a few good uses for that, if he was amenable. "Why am I the only one naked around here?"

"That's a very good question, perhaps you should rectify that." He said prodding at her with his cock, wanting so badly to skip the teasing and just fuck her.

"It was very inconsiderate to wear so many clothes in the first place," she said, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it down over his shoulders before her hands moved down to tug at his pants.

Edward got up and pulled his pants and underwear before crawling, naked, back over her. "Is this better?" He asked.

"Much better," Deidre said approvingly, slapping him on the ass as she leaned up to kiss him again.

Edward moaned and reached his hand down, grasping his shaft and using it to guide himself to her. "Are you sure about this?" He asked, looking down at her.

"I've been sure about it," Deidre smirked. "Kristen's fine with it … I think the question is, are you sure?" Though judging from his massive erection, at least part of him was sure enough.

"Yeah." He said. "Are you ready?" He asked.

Deidre gripped his ass with both hands and pulled his hips forward. "Will you just fuck me already?"

Edward nodded and started pressing his cock into her, the tip pressing inside. He watched her for any signs of discomfort, thrusting shallowly into her until he was halfway in. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Deidre moaned with need, rocking her hips up against him and pulling him against her. "Go on. More."

Ed pulled back slightly, still moving inside of her but keeping his thrusts shallow as he did with Kristen. "I don't want to hurt you." He said.

"You're not going to hurt me," Deidre groaned, frustrated. "Stop holding back."

Ed nodded and sped up his thrusts slightly, pressing in a bit further, still nervous he was going to hurt her. He knew it wouldn't feel good if he hit her cervix. He'd heard some women liked that but no one he'd been with did, he couldn't imagine she'd like that either and he didn't want her to stop him because he pushed too far.

Deidre bucked her hips up against him, but he was still holding back. Unbelievable. A cock that big and the man was afraid to use it. "This is no time to be a gentleman, Edward," Deidre said, shoving him off of her and pushing him onto his back, before climbing on top of him and sinking down onto his cock.

For a second he thought she was going to leave before she climbed on top of him. He watched her sink down on his cock, biting his bottom lip as she took him halfway in before sliding the rest of the way down. Edwards mouth opened in shock and his hands flew to the headboard. "Oh my god …" He breathed. No one had ever been able to do that before …

Deidre moaned as Edward's massive cock plunged deep inside her. "You can say that again," she gasped, leaning forward to kiss him as she began to ride him, slowly moving up and down his cock before gradually starting to increase the pace.

Edward was at a loss for words as she started moving on his cock, moving faster and faster with each thrust. "Oh my god …" He said again, though not because she told him he could. He couldn't believe she could take all of him. It felt amazing, her ass pressing against him every time she thrust down on him.

Quickening the pace, Deidre kept moving up and down Edward's cock, driving him into her harder and harder. She kissed down the side of his neck, nipping at the skin just enough to leave a mark.

Edward gripped at the headboard tighter as he pressed his ankles into the mattress, thrusting up against her, but she was in full control. He forced himself to still on the mattress as she rode him hard and fast. Already he could feel his orgasm building. He had no idea sex could feel this intense …

She moaned and pinned his wrists down to the mattress as the intensity of the sensation grew. She kept going harder and faster, his cock sliding in and out of her over and over again.

"Deidre!" He practically yelled as she pinned his wrists. His clenched his teeth. "I'm …" He couldn't even get the words out and a moment later he came, his entire body tensing and arching up against her.

Deidre gasped, the sight of him coming undone sending her over the edge, her hands tightening around his wrists as her inner walls clenched and pleasure shuddered through her. She thrust her hips forward hard against him, letting him ride out his orgasm.

Edward relaxed against the bed, panting as if there wasn't enough air in the world despite the fact that all he'd done was lie there and take it … "That was …." He stopped not even able to think of a word.

"Yes it was …" Deidre said rolling over and laying next to him. She took a few deep breaths before she looked over at him. "Let me know when you're ready for round two." She said as he looked at her, a grin coming over her face.


	54. Chapter 54

When Kristen came home, Deidre was sitting at the kitchen table, browsing on Ed's laptop in a tank top and tiny shorts … and Edward was sprawled out on his stomach on the bed, asleep and naked. Kristen burst out laughing.

"How many times did you do it?" she asked.

Deidre shrugged, looking up at her with a smirk. "Oh, I lost count around seven."

"I think you broke him."

"I did not break him." Deidre said shaking her head before taking a sip of her coffee. "I just … Wore him out. Poor guy … He tried so hard to keep up." She said with a disappointed shake of her head.

"You're an absolute menace," Kristen said, before she got a wicked look in her eyes and went over to the bed. She climbed into bed next to him and kissed the back of his neck. "Is it my turn yet?" she whispered in his ear.

Edward groaned. "Please no." He grumbled, his face half pressed into the pillow.

Kristen laughed and ruffled his hair, before standing up. "I see how it is. I'll go make dinner."

"Do you want some help?" Deidre asked, though she didn't look even remotely interested in helping as she scrolled through the page she was on.

"If I said yes, would you resent it?" Kristen said, mildly amused by Deidre's listlessness. It seemed she had exhausted plenty of her own energy as well.

"Probably." She said snapping the laptop shut, "What do you need help with?"

"Mind helping me cut up these potatoes?" Kristen asked, going over to the fridge.

Once dinner was ready, Deidre headed out to go pick up Rubix, leaving Kristen with the task of getting Edward vertical again. She went over to the bed, nudging him gently. "Edward," Kristen said, bending down and kissing him on the cheek. "Dinner's ready. Think you can put some clothes on?"

He groaned and rolled over. "Do I have to?" He muttered.

"Well, Deidre's going to bring Rubix back over, so … probably, yes," she said. "Want to try to sit up?"

Edward sighed and slowly pushed himself up on the bed. He grabbed his pants off the floor and pulled them back on. "I blame you for not warning me about this …" He said standing up and stretching. "I hurt in places I didn't know I had."

"Yeah, Deidre can have that effect," she said, smiling slightly. "But you'd gladly do it again, wouldn't you?"

"Right now? Hell no … In future … Most likely." He said. "Remind me to stretch first next time …" He said picking up his shirt and moving to the bathroom.

Kristen laughed. "Good luck … I never could get her to give me enough time for that. She kind of pounces once she gets going."


	55. Chapter 55

Edward made his way up the stairs next to Kristen. They were ten minutes late now, having tried to convince Deidre into coming with them.

"Pity Deidre didn't want to come," Kristen said as she went up and rang the doorbell. "You don't think she's getting tired of us, do you?"

"No, I just don't think she's one for awkward, semi formal dinners." He said stifling a yawn. He once again hadn't slept well last night, and had managed to take a brief hour long nap before Kristen dragged him out of bed to come to dinner. Lee answered the door, thankfully when Ed had finished yawning, and she smiled warmly.

"Hey you two, come on in." She said opening the door for them and allowing them in.

"Thanks again for the invite," Kristen said as they entered. "It's nice to get out of the apartment."

"Glad to have you," Jim said with a tight smile as he got up from the couch. "We don't always get the chance to be as social as Lee would like."

"As Lee would like?" Ed asked with a slight laugh. "It seems the ladies like socializing much more …"

"Hey, I don't know about that," Jim said. "But I do get pretty caught up in work … makes it hard to really think about much else."

"Sounds like a problem," Kristen said, looking over at Lee.

"So, I was thinking we could do barbeque …. But uh …" Jim started before Lee finished for him.

"Jim broke the barbeque." Lee explained with a shake of her head. "So we ordered chinese food, and lots of it. So I hope that's alright …"

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Edward said as he went into the kitchen to help Lee take out plates.

"Don't worry, I've never turned down Chinese food in my life," Kristen said, going to help set the table.

"For the record, I didn't break the barbecue, it was just old and it broke," Jim insisted.

"I bought it three years ago, that is not old!" Lee said laughing.

"I'll get you a new one," Jim grumbled, looking irritated.

"How do you even break a barbecue?" Kristen asked Lee. "I don't think I've ever seen that happen. That must be some kind of talent."

"I'll admit …. I've broken three of them. It's surprisingly, not hard." Edward said.

"Three?" Kristen said, raising an eyebrow, then shook her head. "That's impressive."

"Well, the first two might have been on purpose." He said with a slight chuckle.

"So it was barbecue sabotage," Kristen said.

"Pretty much." Edward laughed, though he didn't go into why, or the resulting freak out his father had after.

"Trying to keep it from falling into the hands of an inferior cook?" Kristen joked.

"Something like that." He said as the food arrived. Dinner went surprisingly well, Edward occasionally running off on some factoid no one really cared about but listened because of how enthused he was. It was entertaining really, not the information itself, but the fact that Ed knew so much about what seemed to be everything, and he seemed so happy about all of it.

A few times though, Lee had grown concerned. He'd be in the middle of a very enthusiastic explanation and then suddenly stop and stared at the table, as if he were confused. Once Kristen even had to snap her fingers in front of his face just to get his attention again. It was odd to say the least. But Kristen had told her previously that Ed wasn't sleeping properly lately. That could explain his sudden odd behaviour.

"Thank you so much for inviting us over." Ed said helping Lee clear off the table, taking the leftovers over to the counter.

"Always happy to," Lee said, as Kristen went to help her with the dishes.

"And thank you for your patience with the um … barbecue situation," Jim added.

"It's not a problem, the food was enjoyable." Edward said bringing the last plate over to the sink. Before he could reach the counter there was a loud smash of porcelain, shards scattering everywhere as Edward fell to the ground and started seizing.

"Edward!" Kristen yelled, crouching down next to him. "Lee, what do we do?"

"Let's get this broken glass away from him first," Jim said, rushing over and helping to gather up the bits of broken porcelain from the floor near Edward.

Lee rushed over and placed a hand on Kristen's shoulder.

"Stay calm. He's having a seizure." She said starting a timer on her watch. "Do you know if he's had one before?" She asked gently turning Ed onto his side. His arms were crossed in front of himself at the wrists as he continued convulsing. Lee timing the seizure. One minute.

"No," Kristen said, shaking her head. "It's … it's never happened before."

"Two minutes." Lee said checking her watch, Jim staying out of the way. "Watch his head, talk to him if you want."

"Edward?" Kristen said softly, smoothing back Edward's hair, trying to keep her voice calm. "I'm right here, okay? You're going to be alright. We're all right here with you."

It was just before three minutes that Edward stopped shaking and relaxed against the floor. His eyes were partially opened, and he blinked a few times but didn't respond.

"Edward?" Kristen asked again. "Can … can you hear me?"

Edward nodded slowly, though he didn't say anything. He looked tired.

"Do you know where you are?" Lee asked and Ed nodded again. "Where are you?" He was silent for a few moments as he tried to look around.

"Kitchen." He said quietly.

"Who's kitchen?" Lee asked.

"Yours." Edward said. He was confused more than anything, and his entire body ached and he didn't understand why.

"Do … you know what just happened?" Kristen asked.

Edward shook his head as he looked up at her. He was taking a dish to the sink, and now he's on the floor confused. Lee crouched down next to him.

"You had a seizure Ed." She said, her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Take it easy. You'll be fine." She said as Ed looked around. "Take a few minutes, and when you feel ready, try to sit up okay? We'll help you if you need."

Kristen kept a hand on Edward's shoulder, the other running gently through his hair. She was glad he seemed okay … But if this was a side-effect of his medication, they were definitely going to have to talk to his doctor.

After a few moments he looked up at Kristen. "I'm sorry." He said apologizing, his hand reaching out to hers on his shoulder.

"It's okay," Kristen said, leaning down and kissing him on the cheek. "You don't have to apologize for having a seizure … How are you feeling?"

"I don't know …" He said as Jim came forward helping him to sit up.

"Have you ever had a seizure before, that you can remember?" Lee asked him. Kristen had said no, which meant there was no recent history, but it was possible that he'd had seizures sometime in the past before he and Kristen started dating.

"No." Edward said. "Not that I'm aware of."

"Has anything changed that you think might have caused this?" Lee asked.

Edward paused, hesitating in his answer. His medication. "N-No." He lied.

Kristen glanced at him, but was glad she'd kept her mouth shut. He clearly wasn't comfortable discussing his medication or disorder with Lee and Jim around.

"If it happens again, you may need to see a doctor and test for what could be causing it," Lee said calmly. "Though this one was under five minutes, with no prior history, so … I wouldn't worry too much now."

"Right." Ed said still feeling a bit confused and sore.

"Are you okay to stand?" Jim asked. "We can get you to the couch."

"Actually, I think I just want to go home … If that's okay." He said quietly.

"I can get him back home safely," Kristen assured them. They were going to need to talk about what had just happened, and Edward looked pretty shaken.

"Okay …" Jim said. "I'll uh … I'll help you to the car." He said.

"I'm sorry." Ed said as Jim helped him up. He felt confused and slightly scared and rather emotional. He felt like he was about to start crying and felt the need to apologize. "I'm okay." He said standing against the counter.

"You don't have to apologize," Lee reassured him in a calm voice, her dark eyes intent with concern. "And don't worry … it's completely normal to feel disoriented after a seizure."

Kristen hovered near Edward's side, touching his shoulder with a gentle hand. She was right there in case he needed help steadying himself after standing so suddenly, but he seemed like he was doing okay so far.

Jim helped Ed out to the car, Kristen on his other side. He didn't seem to need much help, but he did seem to still be very confused and disoriented. Kristen had to lead them over to where they'd parked, and Ed got into the car mostly by himself.

"Thank you, Jim," Kristen said, wincing a grateful smile up at him before getting into the driver's seat of the car. "I'll let you know if anything changes."

"Lee will hold you to that," Jim said with a quick nod. "You both take care, get some rest."

Once Jim was gone inside Edward couldn't stop his eyes from watering. "I'm sorry." He said once she got into the car.

"Edward," Kristen said, reaching over and taking his hand in hers, her eyes pained at seeing him like this. "You have nothing to be sorry for. We're just going to go home and you can rest, and everything will be alright."

"I'm still sorry." He said looking over at her, tears running slowly down his cheeks. "I love you."

Kristen shook her head, before she leaned in and kissed him gently, her hand going to his cheek, wiping a tear away with the pad of her thumb. She pulled back and looked up at him from behind her glasses. "I love you too … Are you sure you're okay?"

"No." Edward said honestly.

"It … must have been confusing and frightening," Kristen said, trying to understand. She'd never had a seizure before herself, and she tried to imagine what that would be like, going from the middle of a normal conversation to suddenly being on the floor while everyone else panicked.

"Can we just go home please?" He asked quietly.

"Okay," Kristen said, turning the key in the ignition and averting her eyes to the front. After a few minutes of driving silently, the only sound coming from the car as they rolled down the street under a wash of dim Gotham streetlights, she said, "I think you should tell your doctor about this."

"No." He said quietly. He was done with doctors and appointments and medications they were making him worse …. Sure the hallucinations stopped but he felt like he was losing his mind. The zoning out, the confusion, the constant insomnia, the inability to think, to answer the simplest of questions … It had only been two weeks and already the side effects of his medication where taking a mental and physical toll on him. He felt like he was falling further into insanity and he hated it … He needed to regain control of his mind. "No more doctors …"

"There have to be other medications he could recommend," Kristen said desperately. She remembered the sight of Edward sitting in the kitchen, staring at nothing, stabbing the floor … the fear in Rubix's eyes. Now, things were just a different kind of terrifying. There had to be other options. "Don't give up on getting help completely."

"I can't … I can't do it again … You have no idea what this is like. I … I can't." He said starting to cry a bit harder, his breathing coming a bit faster. "I feel like I'm losing my mind … Like I'm actually going insane … I can't think, I can't sleep, now I'm having seizures? What the hell is this medication doing to my brain?" He said talking faster and faster the more he talked, a panicked tone coming to his voice and within seconds he was hyperventilating, trying to stop himself from crying. He was starting to have a panic attack, which made his entire body ache even more, but he couldn't think about that.

"It's okay," Kristen said, in a firmly calm voice, though her eyes widened in alarm. She pulled over and stopped the car, unbuckling her seatbelt so that she could turn to put her hands on both his shoulders, looking him intently in the eyes. "Breathe. It's okay. You don't have to take it. This medication clearly doesn't work for you, and that's okay."

Edward was shaking as he tried to calm down, the only thing he managed to get out between gasps of air was 'I can't.' The words coming out like a broken mantra and he couldn't hear anything beyond the rush of blood in his ears. He wanted it to stop … Wanted his mind to function normally again …. Without the chemicals, without the damn hallucinations …

"I know," Kristen murmured, tears gathering in her eyes, and she pulled him into a gentle hug, running a hand in steady, circular motions over his back. "You don't have to. You don't have to do anything. Just breathe. That's all you need to do."

It took nearly half an hour for Ed to gain enough sense of his surroundings to wrap his arms around her, and another fifteen for his breathing to calm enough to deep, slow panting, finally feeling some comfort in the motions she was making on his back. She hadn't left … She was still here … For some reason that confused him more and it made him want to start crying again but instead he focused on her hand on his back and held her tighter, as if if he let her go, she'd disappear and he'd be alone in the car to deal with this madness that was taking him over.

"You're going to be okay," Kristen kept telling him, feeling him begin to calm against her, letting him hold her unbelievably tight, anything that might help. "I'm not going anywhere, alright? You're not alone. We'll get through this together." Though she didn't know what to do. All she knew was that it broke her heart to see him like this. There had to be a better way.

After another few moments Edward pulled back slightly. "I …" He sighed, unable to look up at her. "I don't know why you put up with me … You don't deserve this."

"Neither do you," Kristen said, kissing him gently on the cheek. "I love you."

"That's a really shit reason for putting up with abuse." He said tiredly.

Kristen pulled back enough to look back at him sharply. "Don't throw that word around lightly, Edward," she said softly. "I know you've doubted yourself lately, but you're someone worth being with."

"Why? What have I ever done for you? Other than make you worry, and scared, and put you in danger. If that isn't the definition of mental abuse then what is?" He asked seriously.

"That's not true," Kristen said, looking up at him, her eyes deeply saddened. "You're there for me. You're sweet. You make me feel better about myself … And now you're going through some awful things that you didn't choose, things that aren't your fault … And I'm not abandoning you because of it."

Ed was silent a moment before he looked up at her. "I …. Really?" he asked with a soft smile.

"Yes, really," Kristen said, the corners of her mouth tilting upward in a relieved smile. She ran a hand through his hair. "And we're going to find a way to make this okay."

Edward nodded. "Okay … We'll … We'll figure it out."

"We will," Kristen promised him, kissing him gently, before starting the car again and driving home.


	56. Chapter 56

p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"span class="" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"((/spanustrong style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE/strong/ustrong style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;":/strong span class="" style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"With this chapter, please keep in mind that we do not recommend ceasing medications. If you are in any type of situation where your medication is giving you bad side effects, please speak to your doctor! This is not in any way shape or form a good way to handle this situation. We do not recommend this course of action in real life!))/span/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;" /p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward came into the apartment, taking far too much effort to take his shoes off./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""DADA!" Rubix yelled before plowing into Ed and knocking him over./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hey," Deidre said, sauntering over to greet them, a perceptive look picking up something off in Kristen's expression and Edward's apparent exhaustion. "You're home a little earlier than I'd expected."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Something happened." Ed said not explaining further./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay," Deidre said, not pressing the issue further, as Kristen bent down to pick him up. "Come on, kiddo," she said. "Let's get you ready for bed, shall we?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""But dada home!" Rubix said reaching out for Ed./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""It's okay." Edward said. "I'll take him down." He said. It seemed to be Kristen or Deidre taking care of him more than he had been lately. It was clear he missed him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen looked back at Edward, trying to appraise whether he was up to it tonight. He did seem calmer than before … She nodded, handing Rubix off to him. "Let us know if you want any help," she said./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Edward let Rubix down on the floor. "Come on. We'll play downstairs for a little bit, then it's bedtime okay?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay!" He Rubix yelled exuberantly, taking Edward's hand and running toward the trapdoor./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So …" Deidre said, looking over at Kristen once Edward and Rubix had disappeared below the floor, Rubix chattering away. "What happened?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen sighed, her shoulders slumping as she set down her purse, the worry creeping back into her eyes. "Edward had a seizure at Lee's place," she said, sitting down on the side of the bed. "And then a panic attack on the way home."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh my god." Deidre said hearing Rubix shriek with laughter downstairs. "More side effects?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I think so," Kristen said. "The seizure at least… I think the panic attack was just in response to the seizure. He says he can't handle the pills anymore, he feels like he's losing his mind."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Yeah, I've noticed he's been acting weird since he started taking them. The other day when you were at work he was mid sentence and started staring blankly. When he snapped back to, he had no idea what he'd been talking about. For someone who prides himself on his intelligence …. You can tell this is hard on him." Deidre said hearing Rubix shriek again./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I know," Kristen said quietly, undoing her ponytail, wincing slightly as the tension at the back of her head finally loosened. She shook her head. "Staying on the meds he's on is out of the question … But after this, he may be afraid to try any new ones either. And … I'm not sure what to do about it."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We'll have to find out how to deal with it without meds. He dealt with it for months without anyone knowing … And it seems to only react to triggers. Maybe we can find out what those triggers are … Maybe sit down and try to figure out what he actually has. Contrary to what his doctor said I don't think he actually has schizophrenia … Schizos don't just blank out and disappear for weeks at a time and kidnap themselves … I think it's something else." She said with a bit of a theory. She crawled onto the bed and sat cross legged next to Kristen, hearing small footsteps on the stairs as Rubix called for Kristen./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ed called him back down and politely told him to leave her alone, he could tell they were talking, and didn't blame them. There was a lot going on./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ten more minutes and then bed." Deidre heard Ed say, she could hear the exhaustion in his voice and was surprised Ed gave him that much time./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen nodded slowly. "I've been thinking the same thing … The diagnosis seemed to make sense at first, but … it just doesn't add up. And … the way Edward talks about it, I don't get the impression there's much actual therapy going on. I don't think this doctor listens to him, he just prescribes medications and increases dosages … There has to be a better option …" She looked up at Deidre. "What you're talking about, observing and figuring out what sets off his episodes … That sounds like the best approach, but it's going to take time. What are we going to do in the meantime to keep him from hurting himself again?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't know …" Deidre said shaking her head. "It's not going to be easy …" She said before quieting her voice. "And we can't be sure this won't put us, or Rubix in danger either."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Kristen nodded quietly. "What are we going to do to keep Rubix safe? You know Edward would never forgive himself if anything happened to him." Or to either of them, for that matter. But they could take care of themselves. Rubix was another matter entirely./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I know you're legally his mother now, but I think we should talk to him about it …" She said. "We can't make any final decisions for him anyway. We should wait until he comes back up."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Right," Kristen agreed, a little unnerved. She knew adopting Rubix would come with responsibility, but … the stakes suddenly seemed so high. She stood up. "I'll go down and see him."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Before she could go downstairs though Rubix popped up from the trap door and crawled up onto the floor. "Dada say night night Kisten!" He said running up to her, oblivious to the conversation that had been happening. "Night night Kisten!"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Night night, Rubix," Kristen said, her worried features softening into a smile as she bent down to hug him./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Rubix hugged her and ran over to the bed, grabbing onto the blankets and trying to pull himself up./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Hang on," Kristen chuckled. "I'll help you up." She bent down to pick up Rubix and lifted him up to sit on the bed. "Better?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Dank you!" He said crawling over to Deidre and hugging her. "Night night Deeda!"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Aw, night night, Rubix," Deidre said, hugging him back. "Let's get you off to bed now, shall we?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I okay." He said laying on his stomach and sliding off the bed feet first. "I brusha teefs!" He said going over to the stairs and carefully climbing down them again. "Dada teefies!" He said disappearing into the basement again. Ed helped Rubix brush his teeth and read him a quick story before putting him to bed./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"When he was finally settled in for the night, Ed came back upstairs feeling more worn than ever./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Deidre went over and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him gently. "You look like it's bedtime for you too," she said./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""How are you feeling?" Kristen asked quietly./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Sore." He said, rubbing his ribs from where Rubix had jumped on him. "A little light headed. Otherwise fine." He said kissing Deidre back./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Kristen told me what happened," Deidre said. "We don't have to talk about it until you're rested though."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""We can talk about it now … Before the meds wear off." He said crawling onto the bed and sitting against the headboard./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay," Deidre said, sitting on the bedside with Kristen. "We're in agreement that you're right; the meds you're on aren't doing you any good. And your current doctor just sounds incompetent to me."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""So… We need to figure something else out," Kristen said quietly./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I think I should talk to Ben and Marian … Have them take Rubix on a trip somewhere for a few weeks. Don't tell me where. If I'm going off the meds, I don't know what's going to happen. But I think we should try to find out what's setting me off, either find a way to avoid the triggers, which may be difficult, or find a way to deal with it."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I think that's a good idea," Kristen said, relieved that Edward had already taken Rubix into account. "Would you be willing to let them know what's going on though?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't know. I don't want to know where they're taking him." He said. "I know he'll be safe with them."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""That seems like the best way to do it," Deidre said. "Then we can try to identify triggers and establish a plan to deal with them… Kristen, do you think you'd be able to get Lee's hypothetical opinion on some of these symptoms without giving anything away?"/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I think so," Kristen said, already having an idea of how she could do it. "She already knows I'm overly nosy about case files anyway, so I can just make her think it's something I read."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I think she'd have more knowledge than that clown that calls himself a doctor." Ed said./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I have no doubt about that," Kristen agreed grimly. There had to be more qualified doctors out there, but this one had damaged Edward's trust so badly that she doubted he'd seek professional help again anytime soon … Assuming he could even afford anyone better right now if he did. But Lee was someone he respected… If she had some idea what all this would mean, Edward would listen./p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""I don't know Lee that well, not from a professional perspective," Deidre said. "But the doctor you've been seeing doesn't sound like he gives a shit."/p  
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 15.12px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay. I'll talk to Marian tomorrow morning. Have them take him in the afternoon … Hopefully Lee will know something …"/p 


End file.
